Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe
by Smudge93
Summary: One father, two sons and a choice. What would you do? I own nothing except my own imagination, the rest belongs to CW and Mr Kripke!
1. Chapter 1

WARNING: some rather graphic torture of both boys in this although mostly it is the other brother's view of what is happening that is told.

Can someone really make John choose between his boys??

Chapter One

John Winchester had picked up the packet from his mail drop and taken it back to Bobby's place. He ripped the packet opened and took out another, slightly smaller envelope, a cell phone and a small note. The words of the note made his blood run cold.

**One father, two sons,**

**Two lives, one choice,**

**One to live, one to die,**

**Sam or Dean, Dean or Sam.**

**Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.**

**Call the number and leave a name, choose one John or loose both. Don't take too long though John, the clock is ticking. You have fourteen days to decide which to lose. Your time starts and ends at midnight. Don't worry we'll let you know how your boys are doing.**

**Can you tell which one put up the best fight?**

John froze when the pictures fell out on the table. There was one picture each of both of his boys; they were on their knees, hands behind their backs, pulled up high to force their heads down. Their heads though weren't down; they had been pulled back up by the hair so John could get a good look at their faces.

The top picture was Sam. His face was a mess, bloody and beaten, the sight of the damage almost making John sick.

The bottom picture was Dean; at least John thought it was Dean, 'cos his son's face was unrecognisable. He was only sure it was Dean from the amulet that hung from his neck.

"Dear god!" It was Bobby that vocalised the thought in John's head. "What the hell did they do to him?" John thought he could see the marks of knuckle dusters on his eldest son's face. That did it. He threw back the chair and bolted for the bathroom, leaving Bobby staring at his wake.

John felt his whole insides where about to leave him, how was he supposed to do what they asked? How the hell was he supposed to make that choice? He couldn't, which left only one thing to do. He had to find them before his time ran out. He got up off his knees and washed his face.

Bobby was glad for once to see that look on John's face. Someone or something was going to pay for laying a hand on the sons of John Winchester; Bobby looked back at the pictures and hoped that he was there when they did.

"Bobby, can you trace the boy's cell phones, I doubt that they've still got them on them but it could provide a place to start." John the soldier was back, calm and in command.

Bobby watched as John threw things into his duffle. "Okay, so what are you gonna do?"

"Me? I'm gonna go to the roadhouse, ask Ellen for help, look up a few old contacts while I'm there. And then…….I'm gonna get my damn boys back, both of them."

With that John Winchester stormed out of the house.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Sam looked around the room; trying to lift his head high enough to see his brother who was bound in a similar fashion to himself on the other side. He'd called to him a few times but Dean couldn't or wouldn't look up. Sam face was agony were they had hit him, he could still feel where bare knuckles had bruised his skin, feel his eye swelling.

Dean had heard his brother call to him but to lift his head had just required to much damned effort, besides, Dean knew that he had some serious damage to his face. They had used knuckle dusters on him and he knew that his nose and at least one of his cheekbones were broken. What worried him most though was that he couldn't see right out of his left eye, it felt as it had moved somehow, that it no longer rested were it should. He could feel the blood as it trickled from his lips. He drifted in and out of consciousness as the pain ebbed and flowed through him.

The lights flickered and went out and both men moaned. They were coming back.

Sam flinched as the finger touched him, reaching out through the darkness, poking him in the chest and that voice whispered in his ear.

"Eeny" it said. "Miny" it said.

Dean flinched as the finger touched him, reaching out through the darkness, poking him in the chest and that voice whispered in his ear.

"Meeny" it said. "Moe" it chuckled.

Dean shuddered and then groaned. It was going to be his turn first.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Sam could hear the drip, drip of the water and knew that they were about to do something else to his brother. He screamed across to them to leave him alone. It was so dark; he could only make out outlines of shapes, flitting round the kneeling shape that he knew to be Dean.

He heard the rip of cloth and rightly assumed that they had removed his brother's shirt and t-shirt. There was the clanking of chains and Sam heard his brother groan as they shifted his position. The hum of electricity filled the air and he heard Dean's voice mumble something, too low for Sam to pick up anything but the tremble in it. Sam knew what they were going to do. He strained his neck and his eyes to see his brother, to somehow try to help him through this but the dark shapes surrounded him once again and blocked Dean from his sight.

There was a flash as they touched the current to the wet skin of his brother's chest and Dean's scream of agony lit up the room. He heard his brother's plea of 'no, please' and closed his eyes. Sam listened as they tortured his brother again and again; wishing he could close his hearing off too, wishing that he could make the gut-wrenching sound of his brother's screams stop.

The worst noise however was his brother's desperate pleading for it to end.

Finally, Dean's tortured screams faded to breathless sobs and Sam shivered as he heard them drag the equipment over beside him and felt their hands tug at his clothes.

Unable to cry out for his brother Dean let the tears trail his cheeks as Sam's screams and pleas for help tore through his very soul.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Traced the phones to a garage" Bobby's voice sounded strained.

"Where?" John barked at Bobby when he didn't answer directly. "Bobby, for Christ's sake, WHERE?"

"Lawrence, Kansas."

"Which one?" John already thought he knew.

"It's called Guenther's now but it……."

John finished the sentence for him. "….was the one that I owned."

"John, I'm on my way there now, but I don't think your boys are there. I'll call you when I get there."

"Thanks Bobby, I'm gonna stop at the roadhouse, it isn't too much farther now. See what I can dig up."

John had just put the phone down to Bobby when the other one that they had sent him started to ring.

He opened it and was greeted by the sound of a little chuckle.

"Audio is so much better than visual, don't you think John? Your imagination so much more vivid than sight of the actual act."

There was a pause and then he heard the screams and knew it was Dean, knew even before he heard his eldest son's voice beg for them to stop. He felt tears fill his eyes; he had never heard his son beg like that, a broken plea for the torment to end. The phone went silent and then the sounds of Sam's screams replaced Dean's, if anything more pain filled than Dean's, his son begging for someone to help him.

Then silence.

The soft chuckle drifted down the airwaves to him again.

"What the hell is it you want?!"

The phone went silent again and he thought the call had dropped until the voice creeped into his brain again. "I want you to choose one to die, John. Do it now and it will end to suffering of the other, do it too late and it'll be the end of both. Do you have something you want to say to me John?"

"I'm gonna kill you, you sick fuck!" John spat the words down the phone.

"No John, this is going to do that to you."


	2. Chapter 2

John has gone to Ellen's for help and the boys get another round with their mystery kidnappers.

Chapter 2

Ellen had her back to the door retrieving a bottle of whisky from the shelf behind the bar when she noticed the noise level drop off in the room. The silence spread like a disease until all the noise that was left were a few low whispers and the sounds of some chairs scraping back, the hunters in the bar automatically freeing up their weapon hands at the sight of whoever had just walked through her door. She placed the bottle on the back counter and reached for the .45 in the drawer under the till before she turned to face whatever threat had just dared to enter her establishment.

A slow smile spread across her face. She knew all the others in the bar were waiting for her cue as to whether the man before her was friend or foe tonight, most of them already having been on the wrong end of this man's temper. He appeared outwardly calm, never a good sign, but she could see the stress in his mannerisms, the crazed look forming in the eyes that scanned the room wary of any trouble.

This man was a powder keg and it looked, she could tell, like someone or something had lit his fuse. She hoped that she wouldn't be around when that fuse ran out.

She hadn't seen him in over a year and they hadn't parted on the best of terms, but for John Winchester that wasn't anything unusual. She threw the gun back in the drawer and reached again for the bottle and a glass, one look at his face telling her she would need them, that something was seriously off. John looked scared, and Ellen, well Ellen didn't think that she had ever seen that particular look on his face before her, not even when he'd come to tell her about Bill.

She had the whisky bottle and the glass on the bar before he even sat down. The tension in the room dissipated as the other hunter's resumed their own conversation although most of them kept a weathered eye on the figure at the bar. Only one man was brave enough to stand and approach.

Jake Washington, an old friend of John pulled up a seat next to John and placed his drink on the bar, signalling to Ellen to top it off.

"John, it's been a while." He kept his tone friendly and respectful sensing that his old friend was on the edge.

"Jake." John took Ellen's pro-offered drink and downed it in one, pushing the glass forward for a refill.

"So what brings you here John didn't think I'd ever see you back again?" Ellen lent on the bar, her mind racing at what could have happened to cause John Winchester to brave coming back through her door.

"Someone took my boys. I need your help to get them back." Yep, she thought, a threat to his sons would probably be just about the only thing to drag him here, must be bad for John to swallow his pride and come ask her of all people to help him. She fingered her husband's wedding band which hung on a chain from her neck and sighed.

"Well, what happened and what would you like me to do?"

Both Jake and Ellen were now listening as John unfolded the night's events in front of them.

"Did they say what they wanted?" Ellen was leaning on the bar, a concerned look on her face as John spoken.

"Yeah, they're gonna kill one of my boys and I get to choose which one……or they're gonna do both!" John downed the latest whisky in front of him in one fluid movement and then banged the glass hard on the counter.

Jake and Ellen flinched at both what John had said and his actions. All three sat silent for a minute as the effects of John's words sank in and then it was Jake that broke it. "Who the hell would take your boys John? It must be someone good, to get a jump on both of them, especially Dean, he's a tiger in defending his brother, must have taken a lot to take him down if Sam was in danger too."

"It did." John threw the photos in front of them both.

"Jesus, John." Jake picked up the photos and then dropped them quickly. "Is that actually Dean?" The person in the photo bore no resemblance whatsoever to the picture of the Dean that he had in his head.

"It's him."

"When was the last time you spoke to them?" Jake found it hard to lift his eyes away from the pictures on the bar.

They watched the look cross John's face.

"I take it it's been a while." Jake finally managed to turn and look at John. "You doing the usual crap John, keeping them at arms length to keep them safe but still sending them on hunts anyway?" He edged back as John glowered at him.

"Sam was at college and I was getting close to the demon so I bailed on Dean, didn't want him with me, I didn't want him hurt. I never thought Dean would go get him, I mean it had been two years, I thought he was safe. I though they both were."

"You dumped Dean, left him on his own and you didn't think that he'd go get his brother. John do you even know your boy at all?" Jake scratched his head in disbelief.

John's voice was low as he continued. "Lucky Dean did, damn demon went after Sam's girlfriend, killed her the same way as Mary." John paused and took another drink, wiping his hand down his face. "Dean saved Sam that night, got him out."

Jake sighed and played with the glass in front of him. "So, how can we help? Do you think it's the demon that took your boys?"

John hesitated. "No, not really. I found out it killed Sam's girlfriend to get him back out on the road, to force him back into the hunt. It doesn't want him dead; it has other plans for him." He downed another shot of whisky. "It has to be something else, something I hunted, something I didn't finish properly. I don't know…. this just feels like a vengeance thing, you know. An eye for an eye."

"Can't be that many things that you didn't finish properly John."

"There's enough."

Ellen put her hand on John's. "I've got a few people I can call; see if anyone's been asking about you and the boys" She walked to the other end of the bar and picked up the phone.

Jake put his hand on John's. "I'll call Abby if you like. She might be able to trace them. Do you have any of the boy's personal belongings with you John, something that she can use to search for them?"

"Not on me, you know us Jake, we travel light. Bobby's tracing down their phones at the moment, would they do?"

"Should, I'll call her, see if I can get her down." He hesitated. "You'll need to pay her though, there's always a price with Abby."

"Its fine, I'll pay her, just call. I need all the help I can get on this before my time runs out."

"Time runs out?"

"I've got fourteen days or they'll kill them both." John crushed his hand round the whisky glass. "I'm almost two down already since I got those. " He gestured to the photos.

"Better get a shake on then." Jake pick up his phone and hit one of the speed dials.

John stood to go to the bathroom but was interrupted by the sound of the phone, the one that was his only link to his boys.

"John, looking for help from some old friends I see, didn't know that you had any left."

The soft voice chortled at him. "I've decided to get you more involved with your sons' wellbeing John, I mean after all you are their father right? So I either need a name John or you can pick…..beat or burn. I want a name or a choice John."

"I can't, I won't." John found he could barely speak, the choice before him not really any sort of choice at all. He wished that he could just reach into the phone and rip the heart out of the owner of that voice, reach in and pull his sons to safety.

"Well then, I'll do both to them John. Pick what I do to them and I'll make it quick, don't and I'll draw it out, prolong their agony and I'll make sure you get to watch it knowing that you caused it to be that way."

John put a hand out to the wall to steady himself, his voice failing him completely as a wave of anguish hit him.

"I take it that's a no then John; I'll let them know that as I burn their beaten flesh."

John felt the tear roll down his face at what he was about to sentence his sons to.

"Beat."

"See John, choices are easy to make when the alternative to not making one is so much worse aren't they? You should keep that in mind. Beat it is. Goodbye John."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Dean lay on the floor watching as the lights dimmed once again. He couldn't stop the small shiver of fear that ran through him or the soft moan as the movement caused pain to ripple through his chest.

He knew that they were next to him and he waited for the voice to reach him, the finger to touch his chest. He felt a wave of relief flood him as he learned that it was not his turn, and then the guilt filled him knowing what his moment of respite would mean for his brother.

He lay and listened to the sounds of his brother struggling with them, the clank of the chains as Sam tried to stop them doing whatever the hell they were going to do. He found his voice and he cried out briefly as he heard the whistle of the whip through the air and the sound of his brother's soft flesh tearing, his own body jerking at each crack and each accompanying scream. He felt relief again as he heard the soft sobs and moans of his brother and knew that for Sam it was over and then fear filled him for he knew that his turn would be coming soon.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Sam felt the waves of pain crash through him. The punishment had been short but vicious. The act was over quickly but the shock waves continued to rumble through his battered body.

He cried out as he heard them go to his brother, knowing that they were pulling him to his knees, leaning him against the wall as they had with him. He was unwilling to leave Dean to his fate alone, so he knelt there, broken, where they had left him. He listened until the brutal sound of the whip on his brother's skin and Dean's agonised screams as it found him ceased. He waited until only the pain filled hitching of his brother's breath reached him.

And then he let the darkness come, let it claim him for its own and in his last conscious thought hoped that his brother too would find its release.


	3. Chapter 3

A little respite for the boys in this and Bobby finds the Impala.

Thank you for your reviews so far, I will reply to these as quickly as I can but work is impeding things at the moment.

Your support is as always appreciated.

Chapter 3 

Sam lay there and watched as they lifted the limp form of his brother from the floor and dragged him off out his line of vision. He tried to lift his head to follow but his body refused to co-operate, refused to give its permission for him to add further to its agonies. A small whisper of his brother's name escaped his lips; the tears that had formed fought their way out to the outside world and slow trailed his cheeks. He was broken; he knew it and he feared that his brother must be broken too to have allowed them to take him from here without a sound passing from him. Sam closed his eyes and let himself sink back down to where the pain struggled to reach him.

He woke, unsure how long it had been since they took Dean. He felt the hands on his arms and couldn't stop the plea from escaping from his lips. He begged with them as they lifted him and dragged him, pain firing down his damaged back as they hauled him down a corridor to a small room. He pleaded again for them to stop as they roughly dragged him through the door. He didn't want to go inside, afraid of what was to come but unable to stop them as they pulled him in and threw him down onto a bed.

The lights went on and the sudden brightness stung his eyes, blinding him to anything else in the room but the rough hessain blanket that now lay beneath his bruised and battered body.

The arms dropped him and he held his breath, waiting to see what they were going to do to him next, his mind not sure that his body could actually take much more. Then he heard the sound of a door close and silence filled the room.

Something touched him and he jerked, the motion eliciting a small cry of pain. The hand that touched him gently stroked his head and he tried to pull away wondering what new game this was that they were playing with him. The voice that spoke was different, not the one that he was expecting, he realised that the lights were still bright and then he relaxed as the familiar tone finally registered through the haze in his brain.

The voice was laced with concern as it spoke. "Sammy? Jesus man. Are you ok?" Sam would have laughed at the question if he didn't know how much it would have hurt. He'd never felt less ok in his entire life. Dean himself, was hurting, badly hurting but the need to check on his brother, knowing exactly how bad it must be for him was driving him on.

"No." It was all he could manage. He gripped his brother's arm with his hand. "Up."

Dean gently put his arm under his brother's and pulled him into a sitting position, both of them grimacing at the flash of pain that the movement caused them. Sam lent back against the cold brick wall instantly relishing the chill that it provided on his tortured back, trying to push back harder to spread the relief. He protested quietly as his brother tried to pull him off of it. "Don't lean on that, you're back'll stick to it."

"Don't care. Cool." Sam tried to lean back but Dean stopped him again.

"Yeah but I'll care when I have to peal you off of it and what little skin you have left stays there. Do as your told dude, just for once, huh?" Dean gently balanced Sam on the edge of the bed, sat down beside him and started surveying the damage his brother had sustained over the last two days.

"Ok, dad." Sam's voice had a dreamy quality to it. Dean wasn't sure if his brother was being funny or if he was confused. Sam's head sported a huge bruise on his temple and it looked swollen.

"Here." Dean brought a bottle up to Sam's lips. "Drink this."

Sam opened his eyes and looked at the bottle of water that his brother had raised to his lips. "Safe?"

"Does it matter? They're trying to kill us anyway, poisoning would just be quicker. Just drink the damn thing." He tipped the bottle and wet his brother's lips. Sam's thirst overcame his common sense but he could only sip a little of the water at a time. Finally, he pushed the bottle back at his brother. "You?"

"I've had some Sam; d'you think I let you drink it without testing it first?" Dean took the bottle and placed it on the table. "Here they left some fruit and something that"……he held up a small container and examined it……" I think is stone cold broth but hey, it tastes alright." He held the container up to Sam and made him drink, trying to hid how much it hurt just to lift his hands that high. When Sam gestured that he's had enough Dean picked up one of the oranges they'd left and ripped it opened, taking a bit himself and then passing some to Sam to have. Sam finally found his tongue.

"You're very trusting of the people who've just taken great pleasure in beating the living daylights out of us."

"What can I say, why would they poison us? Really? Why would they spoil their own fun?"

"So why this?" Sam waved his arm around and groaned as the twinge of pain in his arm became a star burst. Dean placed a concerned hand on his brother's now lowered arm but Sam very carefully shrugged him off. "I'm ok."

Dean stood up slowly and walked to the two doors in the room trying both, confirming that they were locked. "They're screwing with us Sam, giving us a respite, a chance to heal and then they're gonna come right back at us again. They're up to something Sam and I think we're just a means to an end."

"What do think they want?"

"Honestly? No friggin' idea but I think we'll find out soon enough."

"Why?" Sam watched as Dean paced like a caged animal, tension running through his brother's every movement.

"Because at some point they're gonna want to mess with our heads. They've beaten us and now…now they'll want to break us."

"I think they might have managed that already." Sam hung his head.

Dean was beside him in a moment. He knelt down and grabbed Sam's arms a little too hard. "Hell no, we're Winchesters, we might be bruised and battered but there is no way we're giving into these bastards, d'you here me?" Sam smiled at him and nodded thinking how, just for that moment, how much like their dad Dean sounded.

"So what do we do then?"

"Only thing we can do, we wait. Wait to see what they do next and hope either the cavalry come or they slip up. Dad might check in, although that's probably desperation talking." Dean had sat back down next to Sam. "If he does and my phone goes to voice mail a few times he'll know something's up 'cos my phone, unlike those of the rest of my family"……he shot Sam a look….."never usually does that and even if it does _I call people back._"

Sam had the good grace to look sheepish. "Do you really think dad would call us now, I mean he hasn't in a while, except for sending us co-ordinates?"

"Man has a sixth sense when it comes to trouble, hopefully its ringing his alarm bells right about now." Dean smiled a reassuring smile at Sam.

"He may already know we're here." Sam voiced Dean's very thoughts.

"Yeah, this whole gig doesn't really seem to be about us, does it? Then again, I mean, who could possibly hold a grudge against dad" Dean gave Sam the best serious face that his battered features could manage.

Sam laughed in spite of himself at his brother's tone but his reply was cut off as the lights went out. He felt his brother move slightly, putting himself between Sam and the door.

They both tensed as it opened.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The light from the street glinting on the dark, highly polished paintwork was what had caught Bobby's attention. The car had been carefully reversed in behind the garage, almost loving hidden so that no harm could befall it. Bobby cautiously approached the familiar shape, gun drawn, alert for any danger.

Having checked that the car was empty, he ran his hand along the metal and wished, not for the first time, that the fourth member of the Winchester family could talk. "Where are they girl, who took 'em?"

He tried the handle and the door opened easily. The keys still hung in the ignition. He slipped into the driver's seat and a vision of Sam and Dean sitting in this car stole into his head, making his heart heavy. He slowly and carefully checked the car over but there were no signs of any struggle inside it. He sat forward and rested his head on the steering wheel. _God damn it to hell, John. Who'd you piss off so badly this time that they'd want to do this to your boys? Why didn't they just come after you, why's it always them that pay for your mistakes? _He went to get out of the car when a glint from the footwell caught his eye. He reached down and came up with Dean's gun in his hand, the one the he'd pestered John to have. Bobby turned the gun in his hands, admiring the craftsmanship of it, smiling again at how much Dean had coveted the weapon. _Ok, no way has Dean just left his car and dropped his gun like that, they took him from here._ Bobby realised what the lack of signs of struggle meant_, they got to Sam first, Dean went with them 'cos they already had Sam_. _So why the hell did they mess Dean up so badly?_

Bobby pushed the image of Dean's face from his mind, got out and walked round to the trunk. Opening it the first thing that caught his attention was the open box sitting in the middle; it was a lock box; one of his lock boxes. It was opened, the original contents removed and replaced by the boy's phones. Bobby lifted the box and examined the markings that he himself had so carefully carved into it. Replacing the box in the trunk he reached for his phone and dialled John's number, unusually he picked up on the first ring.

"What?"

"They're not here, just the car and their phones."

"Think we knew that already Bobby. I need you to bring me the phone, Abby's coming through to take a look at them."

Bobby floored him with the next question. "Did you tell your boys about the lock up in Buffalo?"

"Now why would I do a stupid thing like that Bobby, you know what's in there."

"I think we need to pay it a visit. The box I did for the bracelets, it's in the trunk of your boys' car and it's empty. John do think they'd use them on them?"

"God, I hope not." John sincerely hoped that that wasn't what they had meant when they said he had a choice to make. He'd had to make a similar choice once before, albeit with only one of his sons' lives at stake, and it still haunted him. He'd almost already lost Dean once to these damned things, he was about to let that happen again.

"Are you gonna call him? Do you think that he had anything to do with this?"

"Don't know Bobby but I aim to find out. Can you bring the car back to your place?"

"Sure John. You heard anything else on the boys?"

"No." John couldn't explain to Bobby the choice he had just had to make.

Bobby knew that John was lying, his answer to quick.

"Ok, I'll see you soon." Bobby ended the call and shut down the trunk on the Impala.

The smell hit him and he turned.

He swore just before the bat connected with his face.


	4. Chapter 4

NOT nice to Dean in this chapter - just a little warning. Sam as well if the truth be told. John talks to Daniel Elkins in this, seems strange but it will be explained fully in the next few chapters so please bare with it.

Our friend on the phone gives John another little call.

Thank you for the kind reviews so far, I hope I have replied to everybody but if not, they are all appreciated. Thanks

Enjoy

Mention of the storage area from BDABR and possible spoilers coming up for people and items from Dead Man's Blood, S1

Chapter 4

Dean heard something being thrown onto the other bed in the room and then the sound of the other door being unlocked. He cringed as the voice floated close to his ear.

"You've got an hour, clean yourself and your brother up, but don't take too long, any more than an hour and we'll come in and scrub you clean ourselves. Am I clear?"

The exterior door slammed shut and the lights came back on. Dean looked across to the other bed; there were two bundles of what looked like their own clothes on it and some cloths and towels.

Sam looked at his brother. "What's this now?"

"The chance to get cleaned up. You first." Dean put his hand under his brother's arm and helped him to his feet and into the other room before he could protest. There was a toilet, a small sink and a shower. Dean turned the water on in the shower. It was cold. "Perfect." He smiled apologetically at his brother. "Sorry Sam, water's cold but at least we can get cleaned up a bit. I'll wait outside; call me if you need me to look at your back." He went to leave and then turned back with a warning. "Don't be long."

Sam stripped his jeans and boxers off; almost passing out at the pain that bending caused him. Gingerly he stepped into the shower which was just a tray in the floor with no curtain. He went in face first, protecting his back and grabbed the soap that was lying in the small tray next to him. He shivered. _Water's cold is it Dean? Freezing more like. _He could feel goose bumps like golf balls forming on his arms as he washed his front and struggled to clean his legs, the tiniest movement of his arms driving daggers through him. He called for Dean when he was finished.

His brother's head popped round the door.

"Can you check my back, see if it needs cleaned?"

Dean stepped in and took the wet cloth from his brother; gently he tried to clean the dried blood off from between the long slashes that criss crossed his back. He felt the bile rising as he looked at it, forgetting that his own back would be equally marked and torn. Sam hissed a little as Dean touched a sore point and his brother apologised mentally. Eventually he stopped, his ministering finished.

"Looks clean Sam, just a little red and tender but it's already starting to heal over in places and I don't really want to mess with it much further." He handed Sam one of the small towels that he had laid on top of the cistern of the toilet. "Here, go get dried 'til I get in."

Sam wrapped the towel round him and stepped by Dean into the outer room. Sitting on the bed he started to dress as he heard his brother step into the shower.

Then the lights went off.

Dean was instantly on alert no way that had been an hour, something was up.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

He had been watching them, watching how the eldest cared for his younger sibling, making him eat, checking the water, letting him go first, and tending to his wounds. The care and concern for his brother was evident in every movement that Dean Winchester made, you'd think to look at them that he hadn't been hurt too; well he could soon change that. Only forty minutes had passed but they were going in anyways. It was time to separate the Winchesters and turn the screws on them both.

Sam screamed as they threw him on his back and then bound his ankles and wrists. He called his brother's name as he felt them brush past him into the smaller room next door.

Dean felt rough hands grab him and force him down onto his knees. He tried to fight but they poured a liquid onto his back and he felt like they had just set his skin on fire. Sam heard his brother's scream and cringed but he noted the tinge of rage that ran through it rather than fear this time.

The voice floated in the room, disembodied above Dean's kneeling figure. "Time's up Dean, now we clean your back for you."

"Not time, too soon." Dean gasped for breaths through the pain.

"I lied; just as well you let your brother go first eh?"

Dean's reply was another scream as the rough brush scraped his back.

Sam could hear those screams all the way down the corridor as they lifted him and carried him into another room.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Dean sobbed for breath as they put him down on the bed. He could feel the blood as it ran down his back irritating the wounds below the ones that were bleeding again. His brief moment of respite hadn't been nearly long enough. He was conscious of them lifting him into a sitting position, letting his bound wrists rest on his bare legs, his ankles now bound as well. Dean could hear the smile as the voice spoke to him through the darkness.

"Was that fun Dean? Did you enjoy that? I did." It changed ears, leaning closer to him. "I bet you're just dying to know what the game is Dean aren't you. Well let me enlighten you." It changed again, passing so close to Dean's face that he could feel the breath on his face. "Once upon a time there was a man that had two sons. Now this man did a terrible thing to another man's son, he destroyed him by taking away his brother, all so he could save the life of his own son. Does this ring any bells Dean?"

"I have no idea what your freakin' talking about so can you just hurry it up and get this over with." Dean shifted slightly, a plan forming as the voice changed sides again he felt something shift inside his head, felt the anger build in him.

"Your father has been given a choice, in a little over 10 days he'll have to call and give me the name of the son he's most willing to lose. If he doesn't then I'll kill both of you, slowly and very painfully and I'll make sure he sees it and hears every last scream as I rip the life from you both. Now Dean, who do you think he'll choose? Which son will be the one that he's willing to let die?"

Dean's quick answer surprised him, he didn't hesitate. "Me." Dean smirked as he knew he'd caught his opponent off guard, knowing that he wasn't expected to agree so easily.

He recovered quickly though. "Yes, he probably will, I mean a soldier in a war is easily replaced but a son that you love and care for, that is something else." The voice laughed at him, taunting him.

"That's not the reason he'll choose me."

"No? Then why?" Dean was aware that the voice was getting ready to shift again.

Dean lent in closer to where the voice was.

"He'd pick me 'cos he'd know that I'd kill anyone that let any harm come to my brother…….even him."

Dean jerked back and brought his head forward again quickly smashing into the dark outline before him taking great satisfaction as he felt the nose under his forehead burst. He quickly lent back and thrust his feet in the ribcage of the man before him, screaming out in pain as he did so, kicking him across the other bed and clattering his head off of the wall.

The room went quiet.

Dean sat there, an almost crazed grin on his face, waiting for the reprisal.

He was wrestled face down onto the bed. He felt the hand rest on his back and nails dig into his tortured skin. The voice whispered in his ear and he smiled briefly at the sound of pain in it, smiled that was until he heard what it had to say.

"That was a mistake….you just cost your brother another six strokes of skin from his back." The voice knew how to inflict pain on Dean, knew how to bring him to his knees.

Dean's scream of 'no' was cut off with the door slamming shut and the lights coming back on.

Dean lay quiet and still as he listened to his brother's punishment for his indiscretion, a blank, empty stare in his eyes.

o-o-o-o-o-o

"Daniel."

"I thought you'd be calling John. I heard about your boys, I'm sorry."

John listened to the voice on the phone and thought how much it had aged in the short time since John had last spoken with his old friend but then he knew from experience just how badly grief can takes its toll on a person.

"How's you hear about that?"

"Hunters talk John, I mean you went to Ellen, I think she called every damn person in the phone book, including me. I think she thought what you thought."

"Well?" John was listening for any sign that Daniel knew more than he was letting on.

"John, I'm old son, I hardly go out anymore. I live here in my little fortress and I'm just waiting for either God or something a lot less holy to come and claim me. Only other place I go now is the local bar and even then it's a struggle."

"Leg still bother you Daniel?"

"A little. So who, asides from me, do you think would take your boys John? I mean is it a human or a demon vendetta 'cos John I gonna tell you, you don't exactly win any popularity contests on either side you know." John listened to the old man take a drink of something and sigh. John wished he had a drink at that moment too. He raised the question that he hadn't really wanted to ask, not wanting to open old wounds.

"So Daniel how's Matthew? He still getting help?"

The pause was a long one. "Far as I know. He hasn't talked to me since that night you know. What we did John, what I let you do? Do you still think we were right, 'cos it cost me both my sons John, one's dead and one is as good as."

"Luke was dying Daniel, we couldn't have saved him, Dean still had a chance, you know that, if we hadn't….acted the way we did they'd both be gone. You know that. You didn't kill Luke that night Daniel, he was already dead, only thing you did was let me save Dean." John tried hard to push away the images that crowded into his head.

"Matthew didn't see it that way, drove him crazy. I mean…….I let you cut off my dying son's hand John. I still have nightmares about it every night." There was a discernable hitch to the old man's voice now, the tears for his fallen son starting to flow for the first time in a while.

"I'm sorry Daniel, but we had no other choice, other than to let Dean die too."

Daniel changed the subject. "I here that he's become quite the hunter. Heard a lot of good things about your boy John, he's helped a lot of people. You should be proud of him." Daniel paused. "Does he remember anything about that week?"

"I don't think so Daniel but it's not like I can exactly ask, now is it? You know what the bracelets did to them"…..he paused…"its better it stays that way for Dean." He paused longer this time. "Daniel….whoever took the boys…..they got the bracelets as well."

Daniel's voice changed at the other end of the phone. "Jesus Christ John, you told me you'd destroy them. What on God's green earth decided you to keep the damned things!"

"We tried Daniel, Bobby and I, we tried. Gave up in the end, built a lock box and stuck them in a protected unit in Buffalo. Bobby found the box in my boy's car."

"Then God help them John, if whoever has got your boys put those on them you'll have another choice to make and I don't envy you that one."

"It won't come to that, I won't let it."

"Best see that you don't. So what are you gonna do now?"

"I'm waiting on Jake Washington and Abby, she's a pain in the backside but she's good. I'm hoping that she can narrow it down a bit for me."

"Playing with fire there John but your right, anybody can find them, it would be her."

John was interrupted by the other phone ringing.

"Daniel I gotta take this." John was opening one phone as he shut the other.

"John. I really thought you'd trained your boys better to respect who's in charge. Now I have to punish Sam for Dean stepping out of line. I really thought that would be the other way around." John listened to Sam's punishment over the phone and hung his head. "Dean's punishment was much simpler; he got to listen to his brother get his. I let Dean in on our little secret, do you know he thinks you'll choose him. I wonder why that is? What did you do to your son John that makes him think that his life is worth less than that of his brother's? Must have been bad John to make him feel that way, don't you think?"

John thought how much he was gonna enjoy taking this piece of shit down but bit his tongue.

"So John, ready to make that choice, put Dean out of his misery and save Sam?"

"Go to hell!"

"Now John that's not very polite. I've got a lovely surprised lined up for your boys next, their really going to enjoy this one. I'll speak to you soon John…..there was pause before he spoke again….."by the way, how's Bobby Singer doing? Been a while since he called you, you don't think anything's happened to him do you?"

John looked at the phone in horror. "You son of a bitch, it you've touched Bobby I'll…"

"You'll what John, hunt me down? Isn't that what you're supposed to be doing already? Not making a very good job of it are you? I left a little something outside for you. Goodnight John."

John stared for a moment at the dead phone in his hand and then walked out onto Bobby's porch. The brown envelope was lying at the top of the stairs. He drew his gun quickly and walked out in the yard but the world was silent. He picked the envelope up on his way back in. Standing at the table he let the pictures spill out.

The first one was Bobby, his nose bleeding lying out cold on the ground somewhere, the other two he could hardly bare to look. The knowledge that it was his choice that had made his sons' backs look like that brought him to his knees and he threw his head back and screamed his rage before wrapping his arms round himself and brought his head down to his knees. He stayed like that until he heard the noise of the truck pulling up outside.


	5. Chapter 5

Little back story for you now to start to let you know who is behind all this and why.

_--_

_Past__ 1998_

"_You're coming with us Sam and that's final." John Winchester threw the last of his stuff into the duffle and sighed. _

_Dean was already packed and __had checked over the car over and Sam, well Sam was, as usual these days, in a huff. He'd exams to study for and he didn't want to spend the two weeks before them on a demon hunt._

"_I don't want to. I'm not going." Sam stood with his arms folded in the centre of the room. "You can't make me."_

_John was about the let his son know that sixteen or not he could still make him when the resident peace keeper in the family made his presence known from the door. "We could always drop him off at Pastor Jim's? It is on the way, besides all he'll do is whine the whole time and tell us he's bored." Dean walked over and ruffled his younger brother's hair, albeit having to stretch to reach._

"_I don't whine." Sam whined._

"_See." Dean turned to look at his father. "Besides I'll have Matthew and Luke to help with the research, don't really need geek boy here." He dodged the swipe of his brother's arm._

_John had too many other things concerning him about this hunt to have time for Sam having a tantrum. He did a very unlike John thing, he gave in. "Ok, if it gets us out of here and on the road, ok." He grabbed his bag and marched out to the car._

"_You owe me one, geek boy." Dean slapped the back of his brother's head on the way out the door._

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_The cabin in the woods had seen better days and Dean had to pull the bed frame that was going to be his for the next two weeks out of the steady drizzle of rain that was coming through the roof. Daniel luckily had stored the mattresses in another room, so Dean set about getting them through and on the beds while his dad and Bobby discussed the hunt. Dean was actually pretty pissed off, he had been told that he could come with John on this hunt but wouldn't be going on the actual hunt itself. Only the big boys were going to get to play with this particular demon and so Dean was stuck doing research and, his dad had told him, watching out for Daniel's two boys. Dean had never met Daniel or his two boys in fact up until two days ago his father had never even mentioned the other hunter. _

_Dean hoped that his companions would be more entertaining than his book bound brother these days. __Dean had actually wanted Sam to come with them, would have been glad of both his company and his help but he knew that Sam's heart wasn't in this these days and so had given him the out to go to Pastor Jim's, besides with what Dean had gleaned from the books so far, Sam would be better out of harms way._

_Dean stopped what he was doing as he heard the truck pull up and wandered through to where his father and Bobby were sitting talking. He went to wander outside but John caught his arm. "Dean, a word."_

_Both men stepped to the side as Bobby stood and walked outside to greet the newcomers._

"_I should have told you this already but Luke, Daniel's youngest he's a little bit"….John struggled for the right word….."slow. He was attacked by a Shtriga a few years back, Daniel killed it but Luke…. well, he almost died, he didn't come back quite right." John watched Dean's face blanche at the mention of the Shtriga, knowing how badly his son felt about the one that had gone after his brother, feeling that little pang of guilty again about the way he had treated Dean after it. _

"_Ok dad, thanks for the warning." Dean broke his father's hold and wandered out after Bobby._

_He watched as the two boys got out of the truck, the older one helping the younger one down, his concern and care for his brother written all over his face. Dean took an instant liking to the tall boy that was now approaching them. He stepped forward to introduce himself. _

_Matthew was Dean's height although not so well built, he had long shoulder length black hair that was caught back in a band. He smiled as Dean came towards them but Dean noticed how he put himself between Dean and his brother. Luke was staring at Dean, a blank look in his eyes that made Dean feel uncomfortable. He was almost the same height as his brother, his eyes a pale grey and his hair cropped shorter than Dean's own. Dean realised he was staring back and turned slightly to talk to Matthew. _

"_Hi, I'm Dean." He held his hand out and Matthew took it._

"_Matthew, nice to meet you, this here's my brother Luke." Dean went to try and shake hands but Matthew tensed, stopping him. "He won't. He doesn't really like strangers, sorry."_

"_That ok, not to fond of most of them myself." He smiled again at both boys and watched as Matthew relaxed. "I've been organising our room, want to help me finish?"_

_Matthew nodded and picked up the two bags that he'd dropped to shake Dean's hand._

_Dean waited until both boys had walked past him and then followed on, giving his dad a half-smile on the way past._

"_So this is your dad's place then." Dean threw himself down on the bed and put his hands behind his head, aware that Luke was just sitting on the bottom of his staring at him._

"_Yeah, he bought a few years ago after…."……he looked at his brother….."after Luke got sick. Save us travelling around so much. We've got a house as well, usually crash at which ever one is nearest dad's latest hunt."_

"_Do you hunt?" Dean was hoping that Matthew and him could persuade their fathers to let them join them at some point. _

"_No, I used to but there's no one to look after Luke if I go and he can't be by himself, he just wanders off. So I do all the research now, it's still kinda cool. You'd hunt?"_

"_Yeah, but I've been left out of this one." Matthew could see the disappointment in Dean's face._

"_Having done the research on this thing aren't you kinda glad? I mean Dumah, the demon of stillness and silent death, doesn't sound like a pretty nice guy."_

"_Yeah, I suppose."_

_John put his head round the door. "Boys, Bobby's got the books you'll need out, if you want to make a start. We're gonna go scout out the house where this thing was seen and then check on the two hunters that it put in the hospital. Dean you're in charge. Make sure you secure the cabin first before you start in on the books."_

Dean hopped off of his bed and pulled the canister of salt from his duffle. "Yes sir." He started on the window sill in their room still aware of Luke watching his every move.

_Daniel walked in and put his arms around Matthew, hugging him to him and Dean felt a pang of jealousy run through him. "You take care son and watch your little brother for me. We won't be long." He walked over and kissed Luke's head and then nodded in Dean's direction. "Take care of my boys Mr Winchester."_

"_I will."_

"_Ok then, see you boys later… and try to behave. No stealing the beer!" He smiled and both Dean and Matthew laughed. _

_Dean had done as his dad asked and secured all the windows and doors to the cabin with salt relieved that he didn't have to do the protective symbols as they were already in place. The symbols were usually Sam's job anyway and he hated the fact that he had to use a book for something that his younger brother was now easily able to do from memory._

_Matthew had settled his brother in a chair by the fire and giving him a little radio for him to listen to while they worked._

"_So how did your dad get into hunting then? I don't mean to be rude but he's kinda old." Dean sat back already bored with the books, his mind straying to what his father and the others were up to._

_Matthew laughed at him. "He was born in 1941. His first wife Marion and his son David were taken by vampires. Dad spent two years hunting them down, he doesn't talk about it much but he had to kill them when he found them. He stopped hunting after that for a while, he wasn't well, that was the late 60s. He met our mother in '73 married in '75. He was forty one by the time I was born in 1980. Luke arrived two years later. Mom died ten years ago now, a demon that dad had hunted caught up with us, he managed to save Luke and me but mom……" Matthew voice trailed off and Dean put a hand on his shoulder._

"_I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." He lowered his eyes back to his book when he saw Matthew's eyes fill._

"_It's ok, it was a while ago, but I still miss her you know." Matthew wiped his sleeve across his face. "What about yours?"_

"_Demon burned my mom on the ceiling of my brother's nursery when I was four." Dean didn't look up from the book in front of him._

"_What about your brother? Did he…. I mean is he….?" _

"_Dead? No…no. Sam's at a friend didn't want to come, hunting……not really his favourite thing at the moment. He's studying for exams, hoping to go to college."_

"_Your dad gonna let him? I was going to apply but then Luke got attacked and……well I can't leave him you know. He needs me."_

"I hear you." Dean left out a sigh. "Sam asking dad to go to college should be fun, hope I've been eaten or killed by something before then." Dean tried to lighten the mood that his original question had caused.

_Matthew laughed and stood up. "Shall we steal some of those beers that we aren't supposed to touch?" Dean's grin was his answer. He went off into the kitchen to get some._

_Dean had just gone back to the book when he heard it. Instantly alert he turned his head towards the door of the bedroom that was theirs. He heard it again. Standing he drew his .45 with the iron rounds in it from his waistband and slowly approached the door._

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Past 1998_

_John, Bobby and Daniel were standing open mouthed at the bottom of the bed where the two dead hunters now lay. One was missing his left arm from below the elbow and the other had a mark on his left wrist, open and bleeding where something had been placed that had dug in through the flesh. The mark was about an inch and a half wide and circled the entire wrist._

"_Fair to say that the talismans that this thing uses are bracelets then eh?" It was Bobby that broke the silence. _

"_Do you think it came back to claim them?" Daniel walked over and examined the knife that was sticking out of the still intact hunter._

"_I think that's a fair assumption." John held up the man's damaged wrist and examined the evil looking sore on it. "It's never killed the one that should live before, has it?"_

"_Nope, and it's not like they can talk about what it is and what happened to them. Last poor sod lost almost two months of memories before it came back for its little charms."_

"_If it's going after hunters we need to find it, need to put a stop to it. It seems to be hunting down folks that work in pairs, do think it feeds through these bracelets?" Daniel pulled the knife and carefully put it in a bag._

"_Guess that's why I asked both you boys along then, so that even if it gets to us it can't get all of us." John smiled at the other two men._

"_Not unless it's got another bracelet it can't." Trust Bobby John thought to come up with the sobering thought for the evening._

_The three men quickly and quietly made their way back out of the hospital and back out into the cool night air. Pausing for just a moment to look back up to the window of the room the fallen hunters lay in John Winchester climbed into his car._


	6. Chapter 6

John gets a little 'help' and a bad phone call and Dean's in trouble!

Thanks for the reviews people, I love them!!

--

Chapter 6

John got up and watched as Jake's truck rolled into Bobby's yard. The older man threw himself down from it and walked round and offered a helping hand to his passenger. John scowled, he'd had dealings with this woman once or twice before and to say that he didn't like her was an understatement. He wondered just how high her price would be tonight, considering the stakes.

Abby was average height and she was pretty, a small heart shaped face and a sweet beguiling smile that hid the darkest of hearts. Abby cared for one person and one person only and that was the one that stared back at her from the mirror each morning.

She walked through the door and greeted Bobby's house with a look of disgust. "Maid's day off was it?" She was dressed in a highly expensive looking trouser suit and leather boots that probably cost more than John had spent on food for the last year.

"No, but it you're looking for a job that fits your talents, I think you found it." John snarled at her, unable to hide his dislike of this woman, no matter how much help she could be.

"John, darling always so witty, I hear you've managed to misplace both your sons, tell me just how do you manage to do that?"

John stepped towards her and Jake got in the middle. "John why don't you fill Abby in on what's happened since I spoke to you? I'll go make us some coffee." With that he turned and walked off into Bobby's kitchen.

"So, spill." She looked around for somewhere to sit, dusted off the chair nearest to her, and sat down folding her hands over her knee on her now crossed legs.

_Looks like a damned legal secretary__ sitting there instead of a seer or a medium or whatever the hell she is_. John scowled deepened.

"You know it's your dollar so it you want to sit there imagining me dead, feel free but it's your boys that are missing so……."

"I got a package in the mail." John picked the stuff out his bag and threw it on her lap, making her scramble to catch it.

"Honestly, if you don't want my help, just say." She glared at him and stood and John took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry." The apology stuck in his throat. "I'm a little bit on edge; let's start this at the beginning."

She sat again, listened patiently to his story and then opened the envelope. "Good looking boys you've got there." She looked up and bit back the next remark as she took in the murderous look on John's face. "We'll…..this looks tricky…. and….. I could end up on the wrong side of some sociopath, so let's say an even ten?"

Jake didn't know if Abby was aware that she'd just upset the sociopath that was sitting across the room from her.

"Do I look as if I have ten grand? My boys are going to die you cold hearted bitch." John walked over and put a hand on Abby's shoulder, his grip tight and painful. "You are going to help me, whether you like it or not."

"Do I look as if I work for free?" She looked up staring John in the face, her eyes cruel and hard. "Your boys are just that, yours. I work for cash, no attachments allowed. Strictly business."

Jake peeled John's fingers off her and pulled his hands firmly down to stop him doing anything he'd regret. "I can give you five up front, I'll get you the rest, don't worry." John looked at him. "It's ok John, you can pay me back later."

She thought about it for the moment. "Works for me. Now do you have any of your sons' personal belongings?"

"Not here, Bobby was on the way back with Dean's car and the boys' phones but he's run into some trouble." John looked at Jake. "They took him too."

"John what the hell is going on here?"

"Jake I wish I knew." John turned to Abby and held out the kidnapper's phone to her. "Instead of tracing my boys, can you trace the person that has them?"

"We'll just have to see." She took the phone in her hand. "Wait, which one is Bobby's bedroom, I mean if they've took him then perhaps I can find him from some of his stuff."

John pointed down the hall. "Second door on the right."

"I'll be back." Abby took the phone and her handbag and headed for Bobby's bedroom. She wrinkled her nose in disgust as she walked through the door, stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. "These guys are pigs." She flipped the phone open, pulled up the call log and hit dial. As she thought the phone at the other end was switched off, she waited until the voice mail kicked in. "Hi, it's me. Well I'm in; I'll bring Winchester to you but remember, I want the bracelets. Don't try and double cross me on this." She snapped the phone shut and sat down on the bed, choking on the small cloud of dust that rose from the sheets. "Men!"

She opened her bag and took out the small book with the marking of the devil Dumah on the cover. Without the bracelets it was worthless but with them….she could name her price. She smiled as she placed the book carefully back in her bag.

With one last look round the room she headed out to break the good news to John Winchester that she knew where his boys were, but then she'd known all along.

o-o-o-o-o-o

Dean flinched as the lights went off but he didn't move, couldn't actually as his ankles were bound so tightly together. He felt the breath on his neck and rolled to try and see who it was but the face just blended into the darkness.

He felt his arm being lifted and then the voice spoke, next to his ear almost caressing it with its lips.

"Guess what Dean? Daddy? He made a choice." Dean froze, _that couldn't be right; John wouldn't do that, would he?_ Panic gripped him briefly. "You were right, you are expendable." They cut the ropes round Dean's wrists and he cried out as they twisted his arm, popping his shoulder. He felt the needle slide into his vein and then it felt like his blood was slowly beginning to boiling.

"No, he wouldn't." Dean voice was strained, barely more than a whisper.

"Oh he did."

Dean waited for something to happen to him, for his breath to slow, his heart to stop but everything continued as before and gradually the pain his veins eased down and then the voice came again.

"Did I scare you there Dean?"

Dean let out a strangled sob; the bastard was playing with him.

The lights came on and Dean realised that the person was still sitting there. The mask that had covered his face was gone and Dean stared at the face before him, at the long dark hair tied neatly back in a ponytail. For a brief moment a little flicker of recognition passed through him and then it was gone.

"Don't worry Dean, your not dead yet, although it will probably feel like it." He pulled a small silver bracelet from his pocket and held it up for Dean to see. "Do you remember this? You had this on your wrist once before, my brother had the other one on and your dad choose you that time." He pulled the other bracelet out. "See a matching pair, this one"……he held the bracelet up to the light and watched as it glowed gently with a life of its own…… "this is for your brother. The demon that these belong to is long dead, my father shot him but the bracelets still work, I know, I tested them."

"Brother. Would you like to do the honours?" The smell hit Dean as soon as the other person entered the room. He looked up into a face of grey flesh, with strange pale eyes that stared at him.

"He's a freakin' zombie." Dean tried to struggle free. "This is your brother? You turned him into a freaking' zombie?"

Dean watched as it took the bracelet in its one good hand and flicked it open. It grinned at Dean, the flesh on its face wrinkling up as it did so, lips pulled back to show black and decaying teeth. It reached for Dean's wrist on the arm that his brother now held for it and slid the bracelet round watching as it almost seemed to shut itself. Dean cried out as it tightened.

Pain spread like a poison through his system and he screamed, a scream of pain, fear and disbelief, the sound ripping from his lungs, escaping before his breath was taken from him. The last thing he heard was the voice.

"Goodbye Dean."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Sam was dragged from his troubled dreaming by the sound of his brother's voice. The cry came down the corridor and slammed into him forcing wakefulness. He sat up as he heard the door open and someone was bundled in. The lights came on and he looked down expecting to see Dean but it was not his brother, he looked down on the prone figure and mangled face of Bobby Singer.

He cringed as Dean's cry rang out again, one brief scream of absolute horror and fear and then silence. He looked at the wall as if willing himself to see through it, the noise that his brother had made stabbed ice into his heart, slowing it. He would almost be pleased to hear Dean scream again to know that he was hurt but here.

There was only silence and the terrible sense of dread that something very bad had just happened to his brother.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

John had just taken the phone back from Abby when it rang. He opened it and the voice snaked into his ear.

"Just why would Dean think you'd choose him John? Why does he think that it'll be him that you lay down on the sword?"

"He doesn't think that? He knows that you could never make me choose."

"Does he?" John listened to the voice taunting Dean on the phone:

"_Your father has been given a choice, in a little over 10 days he'll have to call and give me the name of the son he's most willing to lose. If he doesn't then I'll kill both of you, slowly and very painfully and I'll make sure he sees it and hears every last scream as I rip the life from you both. Now Dean, who do you think he'll choose? Which son will be the one that he's willing to let die?"_

It ripped John's heart apart when he heard how quickly Dean answered, the 'Me' almost bringing him to his knees.

"You've twisted this somehow, Dean would never think that."

"Then why would he say it?" The voice on the line chuckled softly. "But don't worry; I've put your son out of his misery." The voice paused and John's heart did too. "For now at least." John listened as they played the scream that Sam had just listened to only moments before.

John had tears in his eyes and a hitch in his voice when he spoke.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I hate you."

The line went dead.

John dropped the phone and grabbed the door jam to keep from falling.

"Bad call, bet you I can make it better?" Abby walked into his line of vision. "I know where Bobby is. A warehouse. I saw a sign for Kansas in the vision." She touched her head for effect.

"Then why are we still standing here." He bent, picked up the phone and stormed out of the door.

Abby turned as smiled sweetly at Jake. "We're on. And you still owe me the five grand."

She turned to follow John and missed the slow smile that crossed Jake's face.


	7. Chapter 7

Want to know what happened to Bobby?

A bit more back story for you.

Thanks for the reviews!

--

Chapter 7

Sam watched as Bobby slowly surfaced, consciousness returning to his face a little bit at a time. He watched as the elder hunter lifted his bound hands and gingerly touched his nose, winching at the pain. Sam lent over the edge of the bed and spoke to him.

"Bobby, you ok?"

"Yeah, freakin' wonderful. Just lost a fight with a bat that's all. Ouch." He found a bit on his nose that was tenderer than the rest." Well there goes my chance with the ladies, that'll be my good looks shot to hell now."

Sam chuckled in spite of himself, buoyed by the older hunter presence. Bobby sat up and looked at the other bed. "Where's Dean?"

Bobby so didn't like the look that crossed Sam's face. "Sam?"

Bobby finally took a look at the youngest Winchester. "Good god boy, what did they do to you?" He took in the mess of a face and the bruises on Sam's chest.

"If you think that's bad…..you should see my back." Sam shifted to give Bobby a partial view of the damage.

"Bastards. Did they do this to Dean to?" Bobby voice was laced with anger and indignation.

Sam nodded. "Bobby, he was in the other room, he screamed….it….it wasn't good. I think they've done something to him…..something real bad."

"Hard to imagine it could get worse than what I can see there Sam." Bobby whistled through his teeth as he took in a long breath as he surveyed Sam's back. "He'll be ok for now don't fret, seems your daddy has a choice to make, your life or Dean's, don't think they do anything to either of you until then." He tried to smile a reassuring smile at Sam but his face just hurt too damn much. "So have you seen the people that took you yet? Do you know why, did they say?" There was something in Bobby's voice that Sam couldn't put his finger on.

"No, why?"

Bobby lifted his head. "'Cos I have, and it's not good Sam. It's not good at all. Do you know anything about Dumah, the demon of stillness and silent death?"

"Vaguely, it seems familiar."

"Your daddy and Dean tried to hunt it down before. It has two bracelets that it uses on it victims, for some reason it always takes two at a time. The bracelet basically empties the person out of the body, well their mind at least. It's damn painful too, blocks out all the senses and their motor functions so they can't communicate with you but they can still feel pain, you can see it in their faces. To have to watch that……"

Bobby paused and took a deep breath pushing away the memory that he come to him.

"Anyways, the demon feeds off them through the bracelets; the person just seems to drain into them. They just fade away until they die, when that happens the bracelet just falls off, although I've never seen it get that far, demon usually claims the weaker one before that, takes the bracelets back. Once they're on the only other way to get them off is to cut off the hand of one of the victims, that victim dies but the other one is released and restored, they make almost a full recovery although it takes a while and a bit of their memory's lost forever. The demon's dead but your daddy and I had the bracelets, someone stole them, and I found the empty box in the trunk of Dean's car. "

"So if the demon's dead will they still work and who's got the bracelets?"

"They may still work; they're like a storage facility, the demon's own version of a lock box, the demon's just the key that empties them. I think I know who and I think I know why. The guy that clocked me with the bat, I watched him die, seven years ago."

Sam interrupted. "He what? How hard did he hit you Bobby?"

Bobby scowled at him, regretting the action as pain sliced through his damaged face. "Nice kid. Your daddy, he as good as killed him himself. If he's here then his brother is here too. I don't think this is just about your daddy either. Their names are Luke and Matthew Elkins. It all happened on a hunt …….. "

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

_1998_

_John knew something was wrong the instant he arrive back at the cabin. Matthew was sitting on the floor just inside the door, blooding streaming from a cut on his forehead. Obviously concussed he made little sense when John tried to question him __as to what had happened._

_o-o-o-o-o_

_Dean had heard the noise and stepped quietly into the bedroom, slowly scanning the room as he walked further inside. His vision was drawn up as the raindrops from the roof fell on him. It was on the roof, staring at him through the small hole. He froze, instinct telling him that this was the thing that his father and their friends were hunting. He flicked his eyes away briefly. The salt can was still lying on top of his duffle at the bottom of his bed. One step and he would have it. He aimed and shot quickly at the demon looking down on him, jumped forward, grabbed the salt and then beat a hasty retreat to the main room. He slammed the bedroom door shut and quickly put the salt line down across the entrance. He turned raising his gun at the movement to his side. Matthew froze in the kitchen doorway as Dean brought him into his sights. Dean relaxed and dropped the gun. _

"_What?__"_

"_Demon." Dean pointed up. He turned as the cold night air gently touched his neck._

_Matthew turned and looked at the open door. "Luke, shit." He was moving before Dean could stop him, he reached the door and was brought up short as the demon grabbed him as he stepped over the salt line. It slammed his head into the jam of the door._

"_Matthew." Dean unloaded two bullets into the demon causing it to loosen its grip on its prey. He reached for Matthew and pulled him back to safety, almost falling as he partly collapsed in Dean's arms. He gently placed him down at the door never taking his eyes off the thing in front of him. He knew he couldn't kill it but he could hurt it and for now that would need to be enough. It turned and that's when Dean spotted the limp form of Luke lying at the bottom of the stairs. He watched horrified as it lifted him up and placed a small silver bracelet on his wrist. Luke gave a small cry of pain and the demon turned and smiled at Dean. Then it and Luke were gone._

_Dean stepped forward cautiously, jumping as he felt something catch his leg. He looked down into the concerned face of Matthew. "Please... please don't let it take my brother."_

_Dean hesitated only for a minute and then he crossed the salt line and stepped out into the night. _

_o-o-o-o-o_

_Daniel__ pushed John aside. "Matthew, where's Luke? Where the hell is Luke?"_

"_Took him, couldn't stop it." Matthew was fading fast._

"_What took him? Was it the demon?" Daniel wiped some of the blood from his sons head._

"_Dean." Matthew looked at John. "Dean went……"_

"_Jesus. Did Dean go after them?" John could feel the panic rise in him._

_Matthew nodded and then passed out._

_John ran out to the edge of the trees screaming his son's name but the wind just whipped empty echoes of his own voice back at him. He turned to the other two hunters._

"_Shit. Daniel, stay here with your boy, Bobby you and I need to pay a little visit to that house." He was running for the car, Bobby trailing in his wake._

_o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Dean stepped out into the forest knowing that what he was doing was foolish at best. He held his gun at arms length in front of him, trying to listen for any noise above that of the wind. He thought he heard his father's voice call to him but it seemed to float on the breeze, no direction to it. He didn't call back aware to do so would betray his position. It was here, he could feel it. He walked further in and the light disappeared completely. Still he walked on. He startled as something lightly brushed his face._

_He turned round realising now that this was indeed foolhardy, he was blind in this light and the thing could be anywhere. He was starting to retrace his steps when he felt it. It gripped his wrist wrenching his gun from his hands and cruelly bent his arm back the wrong way. He cried out and went down, feeling it pin him to the ground. He felt the cold touch of the steel on his wrist and tried to pull away but it was too strong. He heard the click as the metal snapped shut and then the pain started. It turned him over to watch. _

_He cried out as the bracelet on his wrist shimmered, casting a pale glow over the thing hovering over him, the thing enjoying his pain and then it tightened. He screamed as it tightened through the flesh on his arm, screamed as it cut into his skin, moulding itself on him. The pain spread like fingers running over his body, lightly brushing their agonies over him, making him whimper. It worked its way up to his throat and silenced him, stealing his breath and his voice and then it reached his head and the pain exploded through him. _

_His last thought was for his father and then he found he could think no more._

_The thing touched his head and smiled a grotesque smile, and then it lifted him and carried him off into the night._

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_John burst through the front door of the house not caring if the demon was inside or not, his only thought was Dean. Bobby tried to stop him, slow him down, but the other hunter was too strong and his desire to rescue his son would know no impediment._

"_Dean! Dean!" John tore through the house, gun at the ready. Bobby jumped at the sound of every door crashing off the walls that they were opened against, John's blind panic fuelling his recklessness. Bobby had almost caught John up when the noise stopped suddenly, replaced by a tortured moan. He heard how John spoke his son's name this time and Bobby knew that they were too late, rounding the door he took in the kneeling form of John Winchester, the prone figure of his son cradled in his arms and Bobby swore as he saw the glint of the bracelet round Dean's wrist in the weak light of the torch that he held. Moving the torch over to the other bed he saw that Luke too was in the room and sighed. He walked over and examined the bracelet on the younger boy's wrist, noting how it almost sat smooth with the line of his skin, how deep it had buried itself in him._

_Bobby walked over and put a hand on John's arm trying not to look at the pained expression on Dean's face as he did._

"_John." He spoke softly to his stricken companion. "It'll come back; we need to get the boys out of here." He shook him gently. "John."_

_Without speaking John lifted Dean in his arms as if he weighed nothing at all and carried him out. Bobby walked back and lifted Luke up, having to drape him over his shoulder to carry the weight. _

_John was sitting in the back of the car with Dean still in his arms as Bobby carried out the younger child and placed him in the front seat. They made the journey back to the cabin in complete silence. _

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Daniel watched as they brought the two boys inside, only finally moving when John went to open the door to the bedroom._

"_I think that's how it got to them , the hole in the roof, Matthew says Dean came out and salted the door, figure he was scared it could get in that way. Put them in our rooms."_

_John walked through and gently laid his son down on his own bed._

"_Dean, Dean, can you hear me, please tell me you can hear me? I'll fix this ok?" He paused briefly to run his hands through his son's hair, sorting it, loving stroking his face. He could feel the tears waiting to overcome him. In truth, he had no idea how to solve this, how to make it right and it broke his heart. He lent forward and kissed his son's forehead, a single tear dropping from him onto Dean's face. He wiped it away and stood._

_Taking a look at Luke he walked back out into the main room and knelt down before Matthew who was sitting in the chair by the fire. Tears glistened on the boy's face, lit but the firelight._

"_How are you feeling?" He tried to keep how he was feeling out of his voice, keep it even and low._

"_I'm ok. How are Luke and Dean?"_

"_They've got the bracelets on." John watched the pained look that crossed the young boy's face. "Matthew I need to know everything you've researched about the bracelets, I need to find another way to get them off ok?"_

_Matthew nodded. _

"_Ok, let's get started."_


	8. Chapter 8

Posting this as the back story continues in it, John does something pretty extreme in this, you have been warned!

Sam's plight worsens.

Enjoy!

--

Chapter 8

_1998_

_Bobby watched as John questioned Matthew on what he had learned from the books, John's tactics almost bordering on an interrogation. _

_Bobby himself was scouring through them, trying desperately to find something that the boys had missed. Of course the person that had done the most research on this for once was the person lying in bed with the damn bracelet round his wrist. The brief thought that it had lured Dean on purpose entered Bobby's head but he dismissed it. _

_Bobby closed the book he was reading with a sigh as John walked up. _

"_Anything?"_

"_No." Bobby touched John's arm. "Sorry."_

_John thought that the pained look in Bobby's eyes was a match even for his own._

"_What if we kill it? Can we kill it?" Desperation was seeping into John's voice._

_Bobby looked at him. "Is it ever that easy? That's a no by the way. There is mention of an ancient ritual that binds the demon but it doesn't say that it'll kill it."_

"_What about the bracelets can you destroy them?"_

"_No, doesn't look like it and do you really want to try with it embedded in your son's arm?" _

_John shook his head. "There has got to be something Bobby, some way of stopping this. He threw a glance to the bedroom and lent into Bobby's personal space. "My son is not dying like this, do you hear me. Not tonight."_

_Bobby looked up into John's eyes and saw his intent clearly written in them. That intent horrified Bobby. He sat motionless and stared at friend as John he got up and went outside. He had the feeling that John was on the edge of doing something that probably only John was actually capable of._

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Daniel had gone to hunt the demon._

_He had gone back to the house alone, slipping out while John and __Bobby were scouring the books, telling Matthew to watch over his brother. Daniel aimed to kill it hoping that with its death the boys would be released. He checked his pocket for the weapon that he carried in it. _

_Nearly twenty minutes passed before he heard it. It gave a low snarl, watching the hunter as he moved round the house. Daniel didn't hear it move but he sensed the change in the shadows around him. He raised the weapon, aiming for the door of the room that he had just entered, waiting for it to make its move. Its speed almost caught him off guard as it came at him but he got one shot off before it slammed into him. He lay on the floor with the thing writhing on top of him as the bullet from the gun went to work._

_Finally it lay still and he pulled himself out from under it. He walked out to his truck and took the two gasoline canisters from the load area. Slowly he walked round the house, making sure that the gas covered every inch. Satisfied he stood back, lit it and watched until the house was completely ablaze then he climbed back in to the truck and headed back to the cabin. _

_He had been gone less than an hour. _

_Bobby was alone in the main room when he returned__, both Matthew and John sitting with the boys just now._

"_How are the boys?" Bobby noted Daniel's hopeful look._

"_Worse." He watch the hope fade at his words. "Where were you?"_

"_The demon's dead, I killed it, burned the body__." Bobby looked up surprise written all over his face._

"_You killed it? How?" Bobby caught sight of the weapon that was hanging out of the inside pocket of Daniel's jacket. "What's that?"_

"_Nothing, just something I found in the house." Daniel quickly pulled the jacket closed._

_Matthew and __John came out of the bedroom, drawn by the sound of the voices. "What's going on?"_

"_Apparently Daniel here killed the demon. So, now we know that doesn't work." _

_John looked at Daniel. "You killed the demon? How? With what?"_

_Daniel spat his words at him, frustration boiling over in him. __"My bare hands!! Does it matter? It's dead and it didn't work!!"_

_Daniel pushed past them to go to his son. The look on his face when he walked back out struck fear through John's heart. They were running out of time. John threw himself back into the books desperate to find something that they may have missed._

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-__  
_

_Matthew had gone to the bathroom and then to get some air so he had asked Bobby if he would sit with Dean and Luke while he did.  
_

_Bobby stood__, stretched, rubbed his eyes and went through to check on the boys. Dean would look for the world like he was sleeping if it wasn't for the black veins on his forehead, the ugly redness round where the bracelet sat and the pain that flickered through his face. Luke on the other hand was worrying Bobby, his breathing was shallow and his face much more drained of colour than Dean's. Bobby touched both boys, Dean's skin still felt warm but Luke's was almost ice cold under his touch._

_Bobby was checking their pulses when Daniel walked into the room. _

"_How are they doing?" The look on Bobby's face caused Daniel to pause. He sat down across from Bobby. "What?"_

"_I think we've got a problem. Luke's fading fast, real fast. I think…I think that his existing condition, the damage he already had to his brain, it's making him go faster. His pulse is weak; he's cold, hell if his chest wasn't moving I'd say he was dead already." Bobby reached over and touched Daniel's hand. "Daniel if Luke dies he'll take Dean with him and Dean…well Dean still has a chance."_

_Daniel touched his boy's neck and then his head gently running his fingers down the side of his face. "Bobby are you asking me what I think you are."_

_Both men turned as John walked in closing the door behind him. He looked at Bobby. "Is it true, is Luke going to die anyway?"_

_Bobby nodded. _

"_Daniel I'm sorry, if Luke's dying then when he goes Dean is gonna go with him." John crossed the floor and knelt at Daniel's feet. "I can't…I won't let that happen. I know what I'm asking but…" He looked at Dean. "…for now I __**am**__ asking. Dean is in this mess because he went to try and save your son. I will not let him die tonight, do you hear me, not if there is a way to save him. If Luke fades much more… then I __**am **__going to save my son." Bobby shivered at the coldness in John's voice._

"_That sounds more of a demand than a request John." John shrugged. Daniel stared into John's eyes and the blackness in them made him look away. "If he gets worse…then…." He couldn't finish the sentence and didn't need to. _

_John stood and put his hand on Daniel's shoulder. "I'm sorry, I truly am."_

_Bobby caught John's arm. "Are you sure your actually capable of doing this?"_

"_It's my son lying on that bed Bobby, for him, I can do anything. Besides, I've done a lot worse as a marine. Believe me."_

"_Would you let him do that to Dean if the roles were reversed?"_

_John paused. "They're not Bobby, so I can't answer that." With that John shrugged him off and left the room._

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_The men had sat in silence for the next hour, John and Bobby still pouring rabidly through the books, John checking periodically on Dean. Daniel sat with a now half empty whisky bottle at his feet, his head planted in his hands as if it were too heavy to hold up anymore._

_Matthew had sat with his brother the whole time. _

_All three men looked up when Matthew walked through from the other room. "Dad, I think you need to come through."_

_John helped Daniel up and they followed him back through to the bedroom. Luke's chest was barely moving and his pulse was so weak and erratic that it was hard to check. Daniel turned to John and saw the hard resolve in the other man's eyes, he knew John was going to do this with or without his blessing. _

_He grabbed Matthew's hand and pulled him to the door, turning he closed his eyes and nodded at John then he took his eldest son through to sit beside Bobby. Matthew looked up at him with questioning eyes. "Dad, what's going on?"_

"_We're going to finish this son; Luke's dying. Matthew even if we could get the bracelet off its too late. He's almost gone." One lonely sob wracked Daniel's frame and he wiped his hand across his face. He pulled Matthew into his embrace and whispered softly into his ear. "May God and you forgive me son."_

_Matthew looked up as John walked through the room with the machete hanging from his right hand. Shock registered on his face and he turned to look at his father. _

"_No, you can't be, tell me he isn't….that you're not going to let him?"….he turned to watch John walk through the door to the bedroom….."NO! YOU STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY BROTHER!"_

_Daniel dropped his eyes and grabbed his son's arm tighter. Bobby reached for the other. Matthew tried to follow John, shouting for him to stop, knowing what John intended to do, screaming as his father and Bobby held him, tried to calm him. _

_John stood in the room and for a brief moment his resolve wavered then he looked across at Dean. He slowly raised the blade above his head._

_Matthew__ screamed again as John walked back out, the blood dripping off the blade, a pale sickly look on his face, his clothes bearing the splatter of blood. He threw the two bracelets on the table, one bloody on both sides and collapsed on the chair._

_Matthew finally broke away from the two men, his father unable to hold him any longer his strength failing, running to the bedroom and to his brother's side. His scream was a scream of sorrow and rage that brought his father to his knees. _

_Bobby helped John back to his feet and together they walked back to the room. Bobby felt sick at the sight before him even knowing that there was no other way that this could have ended. He approached the stricken Matthew, putting his arms round him, trying to comfort him, pulling him off of his brother's body. _

_Finally he managed it and Matthew turned to face John, a look of pure hatred in his eyes._

"_What did you just do? Why, why is your son more important than my brother? Is it because my brother was damaged goods is that it; he didn't deserve the same respect." _

"_He was dying anyway, we couldn't have saved him." John never took his eyes away from the pain and the grief that shone in the face before him._

"_So you thought you'd just finish the job?" He walked over to John. "I hate you, this isn't over." _

_He walked over and lifted his brother from the bed and took him outside. _

_John looked for absolution in Bobby's eyes. "I had no choice, I had to save Dean." His old friend touched his arm lightly. _

"_I know John, still doesn't make it right though." And with that Bobby went to check on the others._

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

_Daniel watched as Matthew lifted his brother and gently placed him into __his truck. He turned and stared at his father, a cool, hate-filled stare that chilled Daniel's bones. He didn't try to stop him, knew that it would do no good. He'd lost both his sons today._

_Matthew climbed in beside his brother and started the truck. He laid a hand on Luke's undamaged arm. "Don't worry Luke, I can fix this." He pulled the book from inside his jacket and laid in down next to his dead brother. "I can bring you back and when I do…we'll finish John Winchester together."_

_o-o-o-o-o-o-_

_John sat with Dean. It took almost an hour until his son responded to his father's gentle coaxing. John thought his heart was going to burst when Dean finally opened his eyes and spoke._

"_Dad." He tried to sit up but John pushed him back down. _

"_Rest Dean it's ok." John wiped his hand across his eyes to hide the tears of relief and guilt that threatened to fall._

_Dean watched him. "What happened? Where are we?"_

"_What's the last __thing you remember?"_

_Dean struggled to get his brain to work, he felt as if someone had ransacked the filing system in his head, had thrown his memories on the floor while it searched for something in particular. "I don't know. Coming back from the werewolf hunt in Ohio?"_

_John frowned. That was nearly three weeks ago._

_Dean reached for his now bandaged wrist but John stopped him. "What happened to my wrist? It hurts." _

_John grabbed the bottle of water that was lying next to the bed and dug the small bottle of pain meds from his jean's pocket, popping the top and helping Dean to take them and wash them down. "The demon we were hunting it attacked you, gave you a pretty nasty knock on the head and hurt your wrist, tore some skin off there buddy. Just rest up for just now, we're leaving shortly; I'll come and get you."_

_Dean could see the haunted expression in his dad's eyes, had the feeling that something real bad had happened to him, but he couldn't remember what. The pain flared through him and he closed his eyes again, felt his father's hand on his face. _

_John waited until tiredness overcame his son and then he slipped out to pack their stuff._

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o_

"Your dad just left, he just took Dean and booked, bundled him into the Impala and headed off to get you at Pastor Jim's." Bobby brought both his hands up and rubbed his throat.

"I remember Dean being ill, dad told me he'd hit his head."

Bobby shrugged. "Your daddy didn't want Dean to remember any of it, didn't want him to know what he'd done for him. I think he was right to, something like this? It would have just eaten your brother up inside."

"You're probably right." Sam looked up and groaned as the lights flicked. "What now?" Bobby saw the panic cross Sam's face just before they went out completely.

Bobby was lifted onto the other bed and they turned him to face the wall.

He heard Sam cry out briefly and then he let out such a horrific scream that Bobby wished he could cover his ears. Then it went quiet.

Bobby heard the voice at his ear. "Hello Bobby, guess what? Looks like John's got another choice to make, who'd you think he'll pick this time? Who will you get to stand and just watch him murder this time?" It chuckled softly and then was gone.

The lights came back on and Bobby struggled to turn himself, calling Sam's name as he did. Finally getting round with one enormous heave he glanced across to the bed opposite and his heart dropped. His eye caught the glint of the small silver bracelet than was round Sam's wrist on the arm that now hung limply over the side of the bed.


	9. Chapter 9

Ok time to pick up the pace a little, Abby John and Jake are on the way to the boys but are they already to late...?

Chapter 9

Abby sat examining her nails in the front of Jake's truck, she just needed to get the damn bracelets and then she was out of here for a while, somewhere hot and sunny. She looked over at Jake.

"So I thought that John Winchester was supposed to be one of the better hunters in the pack, he seems a bit too easily led for me." She picked absent mindedly at a small piece of flaking nail varnish.

"John's blinded right now, someone's threatened his boys and they're hurting them, so the blinkers are on, all he wants right now it to get to them. Underestimate the man at your peril Abby, John's got a nasty habit of surprising you when you least expect it. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Warning taken, I've dealt with John before I just don't remember him being quite so….combustible." She tore herself away from the exacting task of nail picking. "So I know why I'm here and what I'm getting out of this but what do you get? What's your reward for dealing with these psychopaths, what did the Winchesters do to you?"

Jake turned with a look in his eyes that made her push back a little against the window.

"You should watch that smart mouth of yours, it's gonna land you in a whole heap of trouble one day." He looked back at the road. "Let's just say that it's a family matter and leave it at that."

"Ok then." _The whole damn lot of them are crazy._ Abby decided, the sooner she got her reward and got the hell out of here the better. _Hunters!_

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

John was following close to Jake, almost too close. The adrenaline was coursing through his veins now and all he wanted was to get to the boys before it was too late.

His phone ringing dragged his fixed stare from the vehicle in front and had him fumbling for his pocket. He took it out and flicked it open.

"What!"

"Well hello to you to John." Ellen's voice drifted down the phone line to him.

"Ellen? What's up? Did you find anything?"

"John, I spoke to Daniel again. I think it's his boy that's got Sam and Dean."

"I know. I think that too."

"What?!" Ellen's voice exploded with anger. "Didn't think to call me with that little gem of information John? I've been busting Ash's and mine's ass to find out what's going on and you're sitting on something like that?"

"Sorry. Bobby found the box he made me for the bracelets that were used on Dean and Luke Elkins in the trunk of Dean's car. He called me right before he disappeared too. They've got my boys and they've got Bobby and I aim to get all of them back in one piece Ellen, with or without any help."

"They got Bobby too?" John could hear the upset in her voice. "Why'd they take Bobby?"

"'Cos Bobby held Matthew Elkins back as I cut off his dying brother's arm. Guilty by association, think he's more than a little pissed off with Bobby too."

"John, I did some digging and Daniel filled in a few blanks for me. Matthew went AWOL after what happened to his brother. Nobody heard from him for more than six years until that time when a credit card trail suddenly appeared. Matthew Elkins got sectioned for stabbing a man in a bar in the neck with bowie knife. Guy was lucky to live. He attacked the cops that attended, damn near got himself shot in the process. They put him in Birkwood Asylum six months ago. Records say that he had a complete metal breakdown. He somehow though managed to break out again three weeks later. My source tells me that it was his brother that came and got him." Ellen paused to let that little gem of information sink in.

"But that is impossible, I watched that boy die. I as good as killed him myself." John braked hard as Jake slowed to take a corner and John almost rear ended him.

"Yeah, well Ash managed to pull up security pictures from the Asylum's system and I've just watched him walk in and break his brother out. So either your memory is failing John or my eye's are, that or the boy's a walking corpse. Just by the colour of his skin, my money is on the latter. John if this is the Elkin's boys and they got those bracelets then you're boys are in a world of trouble. Where are you anyhow? Still at Bobby's?"

"No, Jake Washington got a hold of Abby; she thinks she's found Bobby. He's in a warehouse on a retail estate just outside of Kansas. We're headed there now."

"Whoa!" There was a slight touch of panic in Ellen's voice. "You're with Jake?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Be careful John. Ash did some digging for me into the boys' family for me; we were trying to find if Matthew would have someone helping him, somewhere he could take your boys. We're at Jake's house just now." She paused "John, I swear I didn't know this already."

"Know what!?" John could feel the anger that was simmering in him being to boil dangerous close to the top of the pot.

"It's Jake, he's Daniel's ex-brother-in-law. Daniel's second wife was Jake's sister."

John stared through the windshield at the truck in front, it taking all of his will power not to just run it off the road. "So he knew, he knew right from the get go, when I spoke to him at the roadhouse where my boys were, what was happening to them? I bet that little bitch knew too, didn't she?"

Ellen so didn't like the change in John's tone. "She probably did. John, watch your back. I'll call some boys that I know, get them down there to help you and I'm on my way. Park your truck out front John we'll use that to narrow the search. John! John!"

The phone went dead.

John Winchester smiled at himself in the rear view mirror, admiring the cold hard glint in his eyes. They had wanted to push his buttons, make him hurt and bring him to his knees.

Well they had …but now….now it was his turn.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

They had moved them.

Bobby was dragged through to the large main hall and thrown up against the wall; his head connecting to it bring stars to his eyes and a curse to his lips.

Matthew Elkins was standing in the middle of the room next to tables on which now lay the two prone figures of Sam and Dean Winchester. Bobby noticed Luke standing off to the side, his head down almost as if someone had switched him off.

Matthew had posted his men around the outside of the warehouse knowing that when they got John inside he would be outnumbered, that the element of surprise would be on their side, that plus John would only have eyes for the sight on front of him.

He walked over to a large bag that sat on the floor and pulled a machete from it, he slowly fingered the blade as he walked over to greet Bobby.

"Bobby! Long time no see; I can see from your face though that you've already met my brother. Always was good with a baseball bat, that's a nasty bruise on your nose there"….he pushed his fingers into Bobby's face causing him to cry out…."sorry did that hurt?"

"Why are you doing this, if you hate John why not just go after him, kill him. What harm did either of the boys do to you?"

Matthew knelt down. "Every breath Dean Winchester takes is an abomination to me. Every breath he takes is down to my father letting John kill my brother. He should be dead too, I'm just setting history straight."

He stood and walked over to Dean. "He's quite something isn't he? He's just a tiger in the defence of his brother. Do you know he told me that he'd kill anyone even his own father if they touched Sam. Guess this apple didn't fall that far from the tree." He turned back to Bobby." You know John is going to chose him don't you, even he thinks it…..well maybe not at the moment. He ran the machete gently over Dean's arm, drawing blood, watching fascinated as it dripped from the blade, taking him back that dark night at his father's cabin. He rested the blade down and drew another line across the arm just a little above where the bracelet lay. "Do you think he'll feel when I cut it off?" He turned to Bobby with a sick smile.

"Don't you damn well touch him! He almost died going to protect your brother and this…this is how you repay him. Your nothing but a sick dog and I'm gonna enjoy watching John Winchester put you down, just like he did your brother."

Matthew walked over and smashed the handle of the machete down on Bobby's head causing him almost to black out. "The only thing you're going to see is me killing one Winchester and destroying the other two or perhaps"….he lifted Bobby's head with the flat edge of the blade…."I'll just kill them all."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

John jumped out the truck and walked up to his two companions. "Well which one is it?" He directed the question at Abby.

Jake picked up on the hostility in the voice but initially dismissed it as John's dislike for Abby, a dislike that Jake shared. His motive however screwed it may appear was family and revenge, hers was pure, unadulterated greed. He was looking forward to taking her down when the time came.

Abby pointed to a large warehouse that backed onto the road that they had parked on. "That's the one I saw."

"Shall we?" John ushered his two companions in front of him and the first of the alarm bells went off in Jake's head. John hadn't wanted to go in first, his boys were in this warehouse and he wasn't charging in like a bull in a china shop. Jake didn't like it. He took in the outward calmness of the hunter and wasn't sure if John knew something or if they had just pushed him into meltdown. Jake checked again for the gun in his jacket pocket as he walked forward and slid the warehouse doors open.

John's heart stopped as he took in the scene in front of him. His two sons were lying like some damn lab experiment on two cold, steel medical tables. Wiping his hand over his mouth he stepped forward into the room, his companions and any danger that they might represent forgotten, ripped from his mind by the sight in front of him. John only had eyes for his two boys. He cried out as he got closer and saw the bracelets on each of their wrists, tears filling his eyes and running in a river down his cheeks, causing a small waterfall off his chin. He wiped his face with his hands as he walked towards them.

John felt sick. The injuries to his children were worse than he imagined, their bodies covered in vivid blue and purple bruises, Dean's face in particular a kaleidoscope of colours. John was glad that he couldn't see the damage to their backs, didn't think he'd been able cope at this moment.

A movement in the corner of the room caught John's attention his eyes resting in that direction, focusing for a moment, registering what had caused it while still moving, drawn towards this sons.

His first priority was to speak to Dean, taking his wrist gently in his hands, gently fingering the bracelet there. He closed his eyes for a moment and then lent down to speak into his son's ear. "I would never pick your brother over you do you hear me? Never." He folded Dean's arms over his chest and gently rested his head against it. He could hear his son's heartbeat, slow but steady and his gave him a little comfort. "You're not dead yet Dean, just hold on for me."

He stood and walked over to the other table, the tears now almost blinding him. He crossed his youngest son's arm over his chest as well and bent and kissed Sam's head.

"Sammy."

He found he couldn't say anything else, the pain in his heart robbing him of his voice.

The voice behind him startled him from his thoughts.

"John, so nice of you to join us. Thought I'd bring you home to Lawrence, back to where your nightmare and the destruction of your family started, well that and a friend of mine owns this place. Anyway, wasn't that thoughtful of me? Letting you bring your boys home one last time before you put one of them in the ground. See I told you that I wouldn't kill one of your boys 'til you got here but now that you are." He stepped towards John and raised the machete. "Why don't we just get this over with eh? Put you and one of your sons out of your misery?"

"I'm going to take great pleasure in watching your lights go out as I put a bullet in your brain." John was reaching slowly for his gun when he felt the cold steel against his neck. "Slowly John, lift it out and throw it away." Jake's voice was calm and commanding. John realised that he'd almost forgotten that Jake was in the same room as him, he sighed and did as he was told, throwing the gun at the wall, smiling as he heard it connect with something other than the wall.

"What are you smiling at?" Matthew's sole focus was on John. "Now choose!"

John watched the movement from the corner of his eye ensuring that he was between Jake and the now shifting form of Bobby Singer.

" John, I'm waiting." Matthew walked forward to stand between the two beds.

"Sam or Dean?"

John dropped his head for a minute and composed himself. He lifted his head, looked at his two boys and then turned to Matthew.

"Ok then, if it's a choice you want, it's a choice you'll get ……I choose……."


	10. Chapter 10

John makes a choice...or does he?

Thanks for all the reviews so far, glad you are liking this little tale.

The dark italics are Sam's vision, his connection to Dean.

Chapter 10

John took one final quick look over into the corner of the room and smiled a cold smile at Matthew.

"……..Sam."

Matthew had almost instinctively stepped towards Dean. He froze. "What?"

John smiled at him. "You heard me. I choose Sam."

Matthew looked puzzled. "What's the game John? No way would you choose him over Dean, I've been watching you, did you know that, quietly for over six years John, six years and I know Sam's your favourite. I saw you in Stanford last year."

John frowned briefly at that remark and then slipped his game face back on. "No game Matthew, you said it yourself, I love Sam but Dean, Dean is the perfect soldier, the perfect hunter, obedient and loyal. Sam couldn't follow an order if his life depended upon it. I choose Sam, so why don't you just get it the hell over with."

Matthew smiled back this time. "You can't win this game John, you know that don't you? Very well Sam it is." Matthew walked over and pulled Sam's arm out straight at right angles to the table.

John held his breath and switched his eyes to the figure of Bobby Singer in the corner of the room, the figure that was now holding John's gun.

Matthew raised the machete and then froze as the gunshot echoed round the room. The blade dropped from his hand and clattered on the floor. Matthew watched as the blood slowly blossomed out across his chest and looked at John in astonishment.

"How did you….." He fell to his knees, clutching his hands across his chest, blood slowly trickling through his fingers as John walked over and knelt beside him.

Grabbing a handful of Matthew's now blood stained shirt John pulled the stricken boy up into his face. "Bobby could get a better bead on you at Sam's side than he would have at Dean's you little shit. Did you honestly think you could get me to choose, did you?" John stopped as he heard the sound of the gun cocking behind him.

He turned to face Jake who was standing with his gun pressed to a now disarmed Bobby's back.

"Let him go John, just get up real slow and step away." John raised his hands and stepped slowly up and away from Matthew. "This is just about you and your boys John, nobody else needs to get hurt here." He pushed the still bound Bobby to the floor and stepped towards John. "It's over John, you chose Sam so that's who it's gonna be. Abby!"

Abby stepped out into the light. "What?"

"Get the machete." Jake barked the order at her.

"Well since you asked me so nicely." She made a wide berth round John and picked the blade up from beside Matthew. She walked over to hand it to him.

"What are you doing?"

"You asked me to get this for you, what do you think I'm doing?" She held it out. "Well do you want the damn thing or not?"

"The blade isn't for me it's for you." He waved the gun in the direction of the two tables.

Abby looked over in that directions and turned back. "You don't mean you want me to….? No way, I'm not doing that!"

Jake smiled. "Well if you don't I'll shoot you and you wont get your damn bracelets to go with your little book."

He saw Abby raised her eyebrows in surprise. "How did I know about that? Same way I found your little gun. Should take more care with your belongings when you're sleeping."

She watched as he stepped back from Bobby and levelled the gun at her.

She sighed and cast a quick glance at John.

"Sweetheart, you do this and there won't be a place on this planet were you can hide from me. D'you understand?" John voice was full of threat and promise as he spoke.

"Sweet-heart, I do this and I'll have so much money, you won't be able to touch me. Besides, at the moment"…..she pointed the blade at Jake…"I don't really have a choice."

"Oh honey you always have a choice. Now Jake drop that gun nice and slowly and I won't blow your head clean off your shoulders." Jake turned to the sight of Ellen Harvelle standing with a sawn off pointing at his head. "Don't think for one moment that I won't."

John walked over and pulled the machete from Abby's hands as Jake lower and threw away his gun. Abby tried to walk away from John but John he stopped her by the hair. "You and me, we ain't finished yet."

"Ellen has anyone ever told you, you are a beautiful woman and you have impeccable timing?" Bobby smiled at her relief flooding his face.

Ellen stepped forward and cut the rope round Bobby's wrists that were still bound in front of him with a knife. "Always, you know me Bobby; hate to be late for the main event. I've a few men outside, we've rounded up the ones not in this room, put them in some of the rooms out back. Luke's one of them."

John looked at her and nodded. He pulled Abby round and looked from her to Jake. She so didn't like the smile that was on John Winchester's face.

Bobby waited until one of Ellen's men had untied him and then he stepped forward and stood looking at the two boys. "So what the hell do we do now?"

John turned to him. "Nothing we can do. We wait 'til it's over." His face was set in stone, not a single emotion or tell flickered there.

Bobby and Ellen weren't sure that they had heard right. "We do what?" They almost spoke in unison.

John was calm and clear as he said his next words. "We can't get them off right? So there's no way that I can save both of them?"

Bobby nodded.

"Then we wait. I won't choose Bobby, I'd rather loose both. Besides how do I tell either one of them what I did to the other? You saw what happened with Daniel and his boys. I won't let that happen to mine."

Bobby stepped up in front of him. "You can't be serious John; you're prepared to lose both?"

John placed his hand on Bobby's shoulder. "No Bobby, but I'm not prepared to sacrifice one just to save the other."

"You're a hypocrite. You killed Luke to save Dean!"

"Luke wasn't my son; guess you've got your answer now to that question that you once asked me."

He turned to Abby. "I tell you what though, once my boys are gone I know the next two people that are going to get to wear those nice shiny bracelets." He twisted Abby's wrist and smiled across at Jake. "Seems only fitting that you get to go the same way, since you both went to so much trouble to help set me and my boys up in the first place."

"Your not serious, you can't be?" Abby tried to break free from John's grip.

John tightened his grip on her arm and pulled her closer. "Look into my eyes and tell me if I'm serious or not. You're turn next; I hope it was worth it. Bobby, Ellen can you put these two some place out of my sight for now?"

Bobby and Ellen took one each and walked them through to the back rooms.

"Do you really think he'd just let both of them die?" Ellen was shaking her head in disbelief.

"I know he will Ellen, deep down I can't say I blame him, you know how close those boys are, for one to loose the other like that….might as well both be dead." Ellen touched Bobby's arm as she heard the hitch in his voice and he smiled his thanks.

Ellen opened the room door and pushed Jake through. He looked across to the small figure that was sitting on one of the beds.

The shock registered in his voice. "Dear god….Luke?" He turned back to Bobby. "What the hell has Matthew done?"

"You mean you didn't know that you're nephew brought his brother back? I find that hard to believe? I mean the guy is buckets full of crazy." Bobby touched Jake's shoulder. "Well you guys have fun now, who knows perhaps you might escape the wrath of John Winchester after all. Death by zombie actually seems a pretty good alternative to me."

Bobby walked out and slammed the door.

Jake shifted nervously as Luke stood and walked towards him.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Abby stumbled as Ellen pushed her on the floor of the little room, dropping her bag as she did and hitting her head off the back wall.

"Watch the merchandise!" She struggled to sit up but her head was throbbing.

"Darling you're a bitch and I'm glad that you gonna get what's coming to you, d'you know that. You ain't gonna be able to buy yourself out of this one." Bobby walked up as Ellen went to slam the door. He stopped her as he saw Abby's handbag lying on the floor next to where she had fell.

Walking in he picked up the book that had slid out across the floor, the symbols on it catching his eye.

"Is this the book Jake mentioned?"

Bobby turned it over in his hands.

"Now I know what you're doing this for. This book, it has something to do with the bracelets doesn't it? Does it open them?"

Abby didn't speak, she just glared at him.

Bobby looked at the two bracelets and the two demons depicted on the front of the book. The demons had no mouths. Bobby opened the book and studied a few of the drawings inside it, a smile slowly crossing his face.

He shook his head at Abby. "If you think John was mad with you before, just wait to you see him after I show him this. You had the book that let's you control the damn bracelets and never cracked a word. Abby honey, I think we might have just saved John's boys with this but I think you just punched your own ticket." He stepped round Ellen and walked off down the corridor. Ellen smiled sweetly at Abby as she slammed the door.

Abby waited until they were gone before picking herself off the floor and dusting herself off. "Good luck with the book you idiots. I hope it kills you all." She sat down and rummage through her bag, smiling as she pulled the set of lock picks from the extra lining in it. She wanted to be nowhere near here when they read from that book, even if it meant leaving empty handed…..for now.

She set to work on the door.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

John had gone over to the prone figure of Matthew and touched his fingers to his neck. He knelt down speaking to the unconscious figure before him. "Good you're not dead. When you wake up I'll let you get to watch my boys die, I figure I owe you that much, then, I'll let you watch your two friends die and after that…I'm gonna take you someplace real quiet and I'm gonna show you the true definition of the word pain, you sonuvabitch." He pulled him up to the wall and picked up the handcuffs attached to it, securing him by one of his wrists.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

_**Sam knew he was dying, he didn't think it because he couldn't think, the demon's bracelets had robbed him of that particular ability; he just knew. Sam though had another ability, an ability that was even stronger than that of the demon's spell. He was scared and alone so he did what he always did in situations when he felt like that…he reached out for the warmth and the love of his brother.**_

_**Dean jolted as the vision slammed into his head, pushing aside for the moment all the pain and anguish that the bracelet on his wrist was causing. He knew that this thing in his head wasn't a thought for he had none; he knew without doubt that it was his brother.**_

_**He watched as **__**Sam walked in front of him, leading him into the graveyard, casually turning round to check that Dean still followed. Sam stopped at two small stone headstones that sat side by side almost touching in a quiet part of the yard. He knelt down and read the inscriptions that were upon them. The same date adorned both, the date that he and his brother would be free of this, that they would be together forever without any of the hurt and pain of life. **_

_**He knew it was today's date.**_

_**He turned to Sam, understanding filling his eyes. He stood and reached over slowly and grasped his brother's hand in his and smiled his approval.**_


	11. Chapter 11

John and Bobby read from the book.

Chapter 11

John was kneeling down in front of Matthew when Bobby hot footed it back into the room.

"John." Bobby drew up to a halt in front of John waving the book in his face. "Damn bitch had this all the time." He handed the book to John and watched the light dawn in his eyes as he looked at the cover.

John slowly ran his hand over the image on the outside of the book and smiled over at Bobby. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Looks like it, sure seems to have something to do with the bracelets and the demons, I'm just not sure what but it explains why she wanted the damn bracelets so badly. If this book controls them somehow she could probably have named her price."

John cast a quick glance to Bobby and then turned his attention back to the book. There was a translation in Latin pasted into the front of it that John loosely translated as directions for the performance of a ritual, which, judging from the pictures in the rest of the book looked like it released one or both of the bracelets.

"Do you think this'll work? Can you can read this text?" He handed the book back to Bobby.

"I can read it, that's not a problem….."

"Well what is the problem?" John snarled at Bobby before he even got to finish his sentence.

"..If you let me finish…I can read it but I can't translate it, not without something to reference it against, and even then it would take awhile. This text is old, real old. I've seen it some place before I just can't put my finger on it. I know how to say it I just don't know what I'll be saying."

John frowned at him. "What about our resident beauty queen, can't she speak and read this stuff?"

Bobby wasn't fond of that idea. "What if she does it wrong on purpose and screws the ritual up?"

John ran his hand across his face. "Then we're no worse off than we are now and I still get to kill her, can't really win or lose here Bobby."

Bobby raised a finger as if going to say something and then shrugged and headed back off to find Abby.

John walked over to his sons again. This time he checked on Sam first and frowned as he felt the chill starting to creep into his younger son's skin. Avoiding Matthew he switched to check on Dean and noticed that his skin was decidedly warmer although it too was starting to cool.

He turned as Bobby came back into the room. "We've got a problem, Abby's gone. Picked the lock and slipped by Ellen and her guys outside." He looked at John's face. "What?"

"We've got a bigger problem than that, get the shit for the ritual together Bobby, your just gonna have to do it and hope for the best…..and you're gonna have to do it now."

Bobby took one look at the boys and then hurried outside to John's truck to see if he had any of the stuff that he needed.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

John had sent Ellen to get Dean's car for him. Bobby had dropped the box back in the trunk when he'd been hit and John hoped that it would still be there. When this was finished he intended to lock these things up for good this time, together with the book that he now held in his hand.

Bobby had spread the cloth from John's trunk over the floor, took two candles and lit them, setting them side by side in the centre. He picked up the small bowl from the floor and walked over to Dean. "I hope to God this works kid." He took a small knife and made a neat incision into Dean's arm cutting the skin away from the edge of the bracelet and letting the small piece of flesh and some of Dean's blood drop into the bowl. With a small apology to Dean he walked over and repeated the process and the apology with Sam.

John checked the boys again after Bobby was done, his concern peaking as he noted that Dean's skin was now almost as cold as that of his brother's. "Bobby how much longer?"

"Nearly there, although I'd be happier if I'd had the time and the materials I need to translate this damn book."

"Well you don't so we'll just have to suck it up Bobby and hurry the hell up too!"

"Fine." Bobby re-read the Latin translation and opened the book. He sat down on the floor and checked again that he had everything that he needed to make the ritual work. He improvised on a few things but the main thing they needed he had, the skin and the blood of the two boys.

"Ok, I think we're on." He opened the book and looked at John.

"Well read the damn thing Bobby."

"I need you to sit at the other side; everything's about twos to perform this, although only I've gotta read from the book."

John sat down across from Bobby and the elder hunter started the chant.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Jake watched as Luke sidled up beside him, turning his head slightly to the side, staring at him.

"Luke? It's me Jake? Do you remember me? Please remember me."

Jake jumped at the touch of Luke's cold, moist hand against his skin. Luke turned his head the side and stared at Jake, his cold eyes never blinking as he looked over the man in front of him. He slipped his hand down from Jake's face and let it rest on his shoulder, a little half smile crossing his lips, showing off his hellish teeth. Jake swallowed and tried to shift back slightly from the sight in front of him. Luke stopped him by tightening his grip on the older man's shoulder and sliding his other hand up Jake's arm. He now took his hands from Jake's shoulder and drew them up to his neck. Jake tried to push himself away this time, getting as far as arm's length before the wall stopped him. He screamed until Luke's tightening hands cut off his air and then he passed out.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

As Bobby read the lights in the room flickered and dimmed and he had to stop at one point as the lights failed completely before slowly sparking back into life. He leant across to John. "I really don't like this John."

"Finish it. Then you can discuss likes and dislikes."

Bobby put his hand into the duffle lying next to him and fished out the torch from its insides as he completed the ritual. Both men shivered as the temperature in the room plummeted.

Bobby looked over at John with a 'here's goes?' expression on his face and then he bent forward and blew the candles out.

The lights flickered and went out dragging a small curse from Bobby. The noise of something falling to the floor caught both their attentions, John stood and Bobby turned the top of the torch and shone the light towards the back of the room. Sam lay as before, motionless except that his hand now swung freely over the edge of the table. Bobby saw the glint from the bracelet still attached to his wrist catch in the light of the torch.

He swung the light passed the still form of Matthew on the floor and stopped as he reached the table that Dean had been lying on. Dean was still lying there his arm too now hanging loosely over the table's side. Bobby's torch took in the red, bloody wrist that until a few moments ago had been covered by the bracelet and as Bobby lowered the beam of light he saw that it now lay open, glittering with a life of its own on the floor beside the tables.

Bobby watched as the shadow crossed in front of the beam and realised that John was approaching his son.

Bobby didn't know why but he knew it hadn't worked the way they'd intended it to, had hoped. There was something wrong, he could feel it.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

_**They were sitting now, side by side, leaning on the headstones, waiting for the approaching night to swallow them both and take them with it on their final journey. Sam was drifting towards the edge and all he wanted to do now was step off and away from the pain, the pain that the bracelet was again causing to run through him. **_

_**He turned his head as Dean's hand tightened momentarily in his hand and then a wave of panic hit him. It had come from Dean and Sam knew in that instant that something was wrong. Sam grabbed his brother's head as it dropped forward onto his chest and he pulled it back up level with his own to check him. He froze as his eyes locked on those in front of him. **_

_**The eyes that stared back at him were no longer the pale green eyes of his brother.**_

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

John walked towards the still prone figures of his two sons. He knelt down and picked up the bracelet that had now fallen free from Dean's wrist. He lent over and gently checked Dean's pulse and breathing, relaxing as both were even and steady. He noted when he touched Dean's skin that it was warmer but he wasn't sure that was just because the room had turned so cold.

He turned and lifted Sam's arm that still bore the other bracelet. He sighed and turned to face Bobby who had walked up behind him.

"Something's not right here John, I can't pin it down but there's something I don't like. I mean why did the lights fail as Dean's bracelet loosened?" Bobby raised his cap and worriedly scratched at his head.

"Only one thing matters just know Bobby, I've got one of the bracelets off of one of my boys which means that I can save the other." John turned to the table that Dean was on and lifted the machete from the bottom, then he turned to the slumped figure of Matthew.

"Jesus John." Bobby turned away and stood leaning on the table that Sam was on, concentrating on the prone figure in front of him rather than what was going to happen behind him.

John lifted Matthew's wrist and pulled him back up to a sitting position. He slapped his face smiling as it elicited a small groan in response. John watched and waited until Matthew's eyes flickered slightly and then opened. The hate filled stare went to pleased as he saw the bracelet in John's hand. "Take you picked one of your boys after all then? Which one?"

John face bore a vicious grin. "Neither. Dean's bracelet came off all I've got to do now is get Sam's off and guess who's gonna help me with that?" John sat to the side and watched as Matthew focused on Dean's wrist that was hanging over the table.

"How?"

"Sorry, that's strictly need to know and you…..don't need to know." John grabbed his free wrist and pushed his sleeve out of the way.

"Fine, go ahead; kill me like you killed my brother."

"Fine, after what you did to my boys." John leant right in almost touching Matthew's face. "It'll be a pleasure." John snapped the bracelet closed and Matthew went still.

_It was a long time since the demon had been given a corporeal form, a live warm body to play with. It knew the one that it was in, had touched his mind before. It stretched out the arms of the man that it had possessed and smiled. This one had walked close to death more than once and so revelled in life. A sinner and a saint, strong and virile and full of passion and pain. No weakness except one and that one would soon be removed with the death of the other. The one called brother. It too had once been part of a pair, twin demons, a bracelet each for them to feed and pray on their victims, but it had been banished, bound into the very bracelet that it used and now its brother was gone, __struck down, so that only it alone remained._

_It knew its talismans were nearby and it wanted them._

John did what he had to do and stood up just as the noise of the click reached his ears. He walked over to stand beside Bobby and picked up Sam's arm, gently rubbing above the place were the bracelet had dug in. He checked for Sam's pulse and frowned a little, it was weak but at least it was still there and it should get better now the bracelet was off.

"What do you say we get the hell out of here?" Bobby looked up at the lights above flickered back into life. "I'll go see if Ellen's got the car, get the boys out of here and put these damn things somewhere safe. He picked up the bracelet from Sam and then walked over to retrieve the one from Matthew. A movement caught his eye. He stood and walked over to Dean.

"Dean?" Bobby was sure that just for a moment Dean had moved.

John turned. "What?"

Bobby shook his head. "Nothing, it's just that I could have sworn that he moved. Guess this whole thing is just freaking me out." He sighed and walked out to get Ellen.

John turned as he heard the movement of the table behind him. He watched as Dean who was now sitting up with his feet dangling over the edge raised his arms out and turned them as if examining them for the first time.

"Dean?" John spoke quietly but it still sounded loud in the quiet of the room.

Dean raised his head and stared at John through the bright red of his eyes.

John stared back. "Ok then, so not Dean." He stepped towards the demon wearing his son's skin.


	12. Chapter 12

Daniel comes for his boys and John and Bobby lure Dean back to Bobby's.

--

Chapter 12

It had been months since Daniel had been out on the road, things were hunting him, bad things and so he hardly left the house these days; he was just waiting to see if God or the Devil claimed him first. It now longer matter to him which it was, he just wanted it to be over.

He had though set out on the road the minute that he had put the phone down on Ellen, and now, ten hours later he was here in Kansas, his body aching and complaining about the long drive. Daniel had called Jake to find out where the boys were and told him that he was coming to help, which wasn't a lie as such, he just wasn't coming to help him.

He stopped the truck up the road from the warehouse and opened the wooden box that was lying on the seat beside him. He loving fingered the gun that lay inside before lifting it out and loading it. Slipping it into the inside pocket of his jacket he slid out of the truck and tucked his .45 into the back of his waistband.

Daniel's sons were already dead to him; he had as good as lost them both that long ago night at the cabin, he knew that. Luke had died and Matthew had changed into something almost unrecognisable and reprehensible to Daniel, a monster greater than some of the things that Daniel himself had hunted down. Worse still, he knew what Matthew had done to Luke; he had turned his brother into an abomination. Matthew was twisted by grief and hatred, traits Daniel both recognised and had been a victim of after the death of his first wife and child. He had fought those particular demons though and won, had been given a second chance as his reward only to have had it torn away with the death of another wife and then another child.

Daniel knew that he should have acted before now but he really had hoped that it wouldn't come to this, that Matthew would have come to him and they could have fought this together, healed the wounds, but now it was too late, so he had come here to finish it, to finish them, to stop Matthew and put and end to what Daniel himself had let be set in motion that night all these years ago.

He was going to end it tonight and finally get to take his boys home, maybe then he could get some peace, some closure.

He just hoped he hadn't left it too late for the Winchester boys.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

John stepped towards the demon wearing his son's skin and slowly raised his hand.

"So the book summons the demon I take it?" John realised that Dean wasn't looking at him but beyond him, staring at Sam's bleeding wrist.

"Looking for the bracelets are we? They're not here." Dean flicked his eyes back to John and studied him like he was an insect. He stepped forward so quickly that John didn't have time to move. Dean dug his fingers into his father's neck and raised his hand showing John the mark on his wrist, a questioning look on his face.

"Can't speak huh? That'll be a first for Dean." He gasped as Dean's grip tightened. "I….I don't have them. They're gone."

Dean dropped his eyes and shook his head. John took that as a bad sign. It was. Dean lifted John up bodily and threw him against the wall, watching as he crumpled into a heap on the ground, then he headed outside to retrieve what was his.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Daniel stood and took in the three prone figures in front of him. He walked up and satisfied himself that John was still breathing then turned round and looked at Sam and then finally Matthew. He gave a little cry of 'oh no' as he took in his son's arm and he dropped to his knees beside him, cradling him in his arms. "Why'd you have to do this Matthew? Why couldn't you have just let it go?" He wiped the tears from his eyes consoled only by the fact that at least he wouldn't have to bring about his son's demise by his own hand.

Fetching the cloth that John and Bobby had used in the ritual he walked back and laid it out on the floor in front of his son. Wrapping the body in it he dragged Matthew out to the back door that he'd used to gain entrance and by the body of its unconscious guard. He half carried, half dragged Matthew into the bed of the truck and then rested against the door for a moment, trying to regain his breath. Wiping a stray tear from his eye he headed back in to find Luke.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Bobby watched the way Dean Winchester walked towards him barefoot over the sharp stones and broken glass that littered the pathway from the warehouse to the car. He pushed Ellen back behind him and reached for the small flask in his jacket pocket, loosening the top as Dean closed the gap. Bobby swallowed as he saw the red eyes flare briefly in the dull light.

Dean stopped and held out his hand showing Bobby his damaged wrist.

"Cat got your tongue? Oh that's right, your _really_ are a dumb demon. Although I must say I've yet to meet a smart one. So I take it you want the bracelets. Thought you might." Bobby lent down into the trunk of the Impala, pulled out the small lock box, turned, stepped forward and held it out to Dean.

He watched as the redness flickered dangerously in his eyes.

"What. Can't get into the box? That's a shame, guess that means that you'll just have to follow us then doesn't it?"

Dean stepped towards Bobby and he stepped back, inside the protective salt circle that he'd laid round the car. "See I knew that something wasn't right when I read the damn book. Guess you're screwed for now then eh?" Bobby smiled into the face of his friend.

Dean gestured to himself and then at the box.

Bobby thought for a moment and smiled. "A trade, is that what you're suggesting there? Well you're talking to the wrong guy but I'll pass the message on." Bobby turned back to the trunk and laid the box down, picking up John's journal. "I could always exorcise you right here, save us both a lot of time."

Dean grinned and started to back away never taking his eyes from the book in Bobby's hands. Bobby thought for a moment it was as if Dean had recognised it.

"That's a boy, not quite ready to deal with you just now but I know that you're not going far, not when we've got your bracelets."

Dean turned and slipped off into the night. Bobby turned to Ellen, shutting the trunk as he did. "Stay in the car, don't leave it and don't let these damn bracelets out of your sight, no matter what happens, just leave in the car if you have too. If you have to go ahead, go to mine, I'm gonna go get John." Ellen nodded and with that Bobby disappeared back into the warehouse.

Dean watched Ellen from the shadows for a moment and then turned and walked away.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Daniel had found Luke in the room with the unconscious Jake. He slowly pulled the gun from his inside pocket and raised it as his 'son' walked towards him. Luke stopped as the bullet struck his chest, looking down with surprise on his face as the pain flashed briefly through him. He looked up at his father and then collapsed on his knees. Daniel caught him before he fell onto his face, holding him as the shockwaves from the bullet rippled through him and then Luke went still in his arms. Standing he gathered his son in his arms, struggling under the weight. He walked out to the door and stopped for a moment to catch his breath, then he finished carrying his son out to the truck and placed him down beside his brother.

He thought briefly about going back and rescuing Jake too but he decided that anything Jake brought down on him he had done so himself. He climbed into the truck and set out on the long journey back home.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Bobby heard the gun shot as he entered back into the warehouse and froze. He reached for gun in the waistband of his jeans and slowly walked back in, stopping before he entered the main hall, checking carefully before stepping out in the open. He caught a movement in one of the corners and quickly raised his gun.

"Bobby, its Paul." Bobby recognised one of Ellen's men and relaxed.

"Heard a gunshot?" Bobby threw the question over to him.

"Boy's gone, the other guy's down but it looks like he'll be ok. Just some bruising round his neck. Gary's down at the back door but again it's just a head injury, nothing serious. No idea who's shooting thought it might have been one of you guys."

"Na, I'll check things here just make sure that nobody else gets in or out."

"Will do." With that he stepped back into the shadows and disappeared.

Bobby went to John and knelt down lifting his head off the floor. John had a deep, nasty looking gash on his forehead where it had connected with a metal hoop that stuck out of the wall and he had what looked like finger marks on his neck. Bobby used his flask of holy water on him to rouse him.

"Sonuvabitch." John sat up and gingerly rubbed his head, tutting as it came away bloody. "My boy's got quite an arm on him there, but then being possessed would help." He looked around him. "Where is he and where's Matthew?"

"Yeah, Dean's got a little touch of the red eyed monster about him just now, but we've got the bracelets so I don't think your boy's gonna stray far. We need to talk to Ellen about the help though; they're just about up to our standards which is so not good. I think we may have had a visit from Daniel, Matthew and Luke are both gone and there was a gun shot. My guess he's sorted our little zombie problem before he took him. I think you maybe right about Daniel having that gun John, the one that you're looking for."

John raised his eyebrows and then moaned as the movement caused pain to flash through his head. "So Daniel came back for his boys then, I figured he might, what about Jake?"

"Nope, left him behind, doesn't look like he wasn't best pleased with Jake for encouraging Matthew in this madness."

"Good, Mr Washington and I need to have a little talk." John forced himself to his feet. "How's Sam?"

Bobby walked over to check. "Still out of it but his pulse is nice and strong and he's warm."

"Is Dean's car outside?" He leaned on Bobby as the room spun slightly.

"Yeah."

"Ok then, let's get Sam back to yours and we'll get ready for when my other son decides to pay us a visit."

Bobby and John put an arm each under Sam's and linked them across his back, then they lifted his legs with their other arms and carried him out between them. Ellen jumped out of the car when she saw them approaching and opened the back door. The men slid Sam in gently and closed the door over.

"Bobby will you fetch Jake and bring my truck. I'll drive Sam and Ellen to yours in the Chevy."

"Sure, but be careful, Dean's out there and that demon in him wants those bracelets that you've got there."

"I will, you watch yourself too." John climbed into the big Chevy and smiled as he gunned the engine. "Hey, baby daddy's home." He turned to Ellen. "Kinda miss the old girl, truck's just not the same you know." Ellen just rolled her eyes and sat back as John tore out onto the main road.


	13. Chapter 13

Sam gets a little visit from his 'brother' and Abby might just be in trouble!

Chapter 13

Abby watched from her vantage point in the salvage yard as the black car pulled up in front of Bobby's house followed shortly by John's truck. She watched as John and Bobby carried Sam up the steps into the structure and then smiled as she saw Ellen lift the little curse box and the book from the trunk and hurry inside after them.

If there was one thing that Abby had learned to be over the years it was to be patient, good things come to those that wait, all she to do now was look for the window of opportunity to open and seize what was rightfully hers.

She watched as two more trucks, one of which she recognised as Jake's, swung into the yard and he was taken from it and roughly bundled into the house. Minutes later Ellen came out and said her obvious goodbyes to John and Bobby. Abby smiled as the older woman left with her men, less competition for her when the time came to make her move.

She was just settling back in the old wreck that she had picked to make her home in when she saw him, ducking back as the red eyes scanned the yard. This was definitely not a good thing. The idiots hadn't only managed to summon the demon they'd managed to give it a host, not only that but a host it could use against them. She held her breath hoping that he wouldn't turn and look in her direction and only released it again as he turned and quietly climbed the stairs to the porch outside the house.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

_**Sam sat looking into the red eyes of his brother. Dean sat silently, leaning against the headstone, his face wracked with pain. Sam touched his hand gently to his face and watched as brother reacted to it, leaning into it. With the touch Sam could hear his brother's thoughts in his head and realised that Dean's bracelet was gone, but th**__**at demon had now somehow got a hold of Dean's body instead of his mind. **_

_**Sam cried out as he felt his own thoughts return as his own bracelet was released. **_

_**Sam gently spoke his brother's name and watched as Dean struggled to reply. He reached up and grabbed Sam's hand that was on his face**__** and forced the two words out.**_

"_**Help….. me."**_

_**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**_

Sam sat up his brother's voice and words still ringing in his head.

_Sam._

He turned and looked round the room unsure if the voice was in his head or if he had really heard his brother speak.

_Sam.__ The bracelets, give them to it and it'll let me go. Help me Sam._

He looked towards the window and made out the form of a shadow outside. The voice was in his head but he was unsure, hesitant to trust it, instinctively knowing that it was not what it seemed to be. Deep down he know that the demon was using his connection to his brother to get to him.

_Sam please…..__help me! _Dean's tone was pleading and almost…desperate.

He struggled to stand, swinging his legs off the bed, using the wall to get upright. He slowly walked to the window. Dean was standing on the porch outside. Sam swore when he saw the red of his brother's eyes, the reality worse than the dream. The demon stepped up to the salt lined window and glared at him.

_Get me what I want or I'll __hurt your brother. _

"If you hurt him I swear to God I'll finish you myself."

_God won't help someone like you Sam Winchester__. _It's laugh, Dean's laugh echoed through his head. _Besides how are you going to stop me doing this to your brother?_

Sam let out a little cry as he saw the eyes change from red to green and pain filled them. Dean collapsed back against the railings, sliding down them to the floor, clutching his hands to his stomach. He raised his head and Sam watched as the blood ran from Dean's nose and mouth, watched as his brother let his head fall back and great silent sobs of pain wracked his body.

_Sam__my. _That time it was Dean, Sam could almost feel his pain in the way he said his name.

"Dean!" Sam headed for the bedroom door. He flung it open and staggered down the hall, his body not yet back in coordination with his mind. He crashed into Bobby's living room and straight into his father how had been coming to him, drawn by Sam's cry of his brother's name.

"Sam? John saw the look of panic on his son's face. "What wrong? Are you alright?"

"It's Dean. It's hurting him. It wants the bracelets."

"It's not Dean Sam." John placed a restraining arm on his son's shoulder.

"That's just the point it is. It is Dean. He's in my head." Sam tried to push past his father and open the front door. John yanked him back.

"You're not going out there!" Sam struggled but didn't have the strength yet to fight back. He collapsed in John's arms. "Dad, please help him." John's heart broke at the pain in his youngest son's eyes and voice.

"It ok, we will. We're almost ready. When it comes for the bracelets we're gonna trap it and exorcise it back where it belongs. Then we'll help Dean, save him." Sam sighed and let his father take him back into the room. "Let me look at your back now that you're awake."

Sam looked up and realised for the first time that his back hurt like hell. He twisted as he tried to turn and check the damage and yelped as a lightning rod of pain shot through him. "What the hell happened to me?"

Bobby and John exchanged glances. "It's a long story, come on, sit down and I'll tell you some of it as I patch you up. Bobby can you check what's happening outside?" His father's strong hands guided Sam to the chair and he sat sideways on it, leaning on his right side.

Bobby gave Sam a small smile. "It'll be ok kid, your brother a tough son of bitch, take more than a little demon torture to bring him down." Bobby walked over to the window aware that Sam was watching him.

Dean was outside sitting on the porch rail, swinging him feet gently against the spindles below. He sat there watching Bobby for a moment and then he jumped down and walked off round the front of the house and out of sight.

Bobby walked back out to the main room and looked out the window. The yard was empty. He stopped and looked up at the devil's trap on the ceiling and a though across his mind. He moved the table and the rug that sat in the next room then fetched a can of spray paint.

It was circling the house, looking for an in, although it knew it didn't really need to. Eventually they would let it in; they wanted its host back. The one they called Dean. They would try to trick it, it knew that, welcomed it. It smiled; this was going to be fun.

o-o-o-o-o

The welts on Sam's back made John feel sick, the fact the he was responsible for them, that the beating had been his choice ate at him as he gently cleaned his son's back, patching over the worst ones.

"So what the hell happened to me dad? I feel like I've lost a chunk of my mind." Sam stared at his father intently watching as the emotions flickered under the surface of his face.

"Edited highlights? The demon that's in Dean, it has these bracelets that wipe the wearer's memories. You and Dean both had them on. That's what happened to your wrist." Sam looked down at his wrist as if noticing it for the first time. John grabbed some more bandages and started to wrap it. "Bobby and I, well we found a way to get them off but that's how the demon managed to possess your brother. What's the last thing you remember?" John wanted to see how much the bracelet had wiped from Sam's memory.

"Honestly, middle of a hunt that I swear I know we finished but for the life of my I don't know how we did."

"What hunt was it?"

"The Shtriga, you know the one that you let Dean blame himself for you missing in Fort Douglas."

John watched the little flash of anger in Sam's eyes. _Ok I deserve that_. "I told him not to leave the room, I told him not to let you out of his sight. Your brother disobeyed a direct order, he almost got you killed." John fought back the urge to raise his voice.

"My brother was just a kid; you had left us alone for three days. He made a mistake and judging by the way he reacted when we found out what you had sent him to hunt, you nailed him with it!"

"He was in charge; he was supposed to be looking out for you."

"Yeah dad, but who was looking out for Dean?" Sam paused to let the point hit home. "You made damn sure that he didn't do it again though didn't you?"

John didn't want to fight with his son, not now. "I had to, I didn't mean to…." His voice trailed off as he wiped his hand over his face and then changed the subject not wanting to get into this. "I sent you those coordinates over a month ago. Did you go there straight away?"

Sam went to say something and then shook his head. "A month ago?" Sam ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, we did. I've lost a whole month?"

"Looks that way." He stretched his hand down to Sam. "So what do you say we finish this and get your brother back?"

Sam hesitated for a moment and then took his father's hand. "Ok, so how do you want to play this?"

"I think it's time to open the door and invite your brother back into the fold."

"You're gonna just let him in? That's your plan?"

John nodded. "Unless you've got something better?"

Sam shrugged and groaned as his back flared again. "Damn. No. So we trap it and send it packing?"

"That's the general idea."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Abby watched outside as Dean reached in and lifted something from the floor of the Impala. She watched him as he admired the engraving on the gun that he had lifted from the front seat of the car and then pushed it into the waistband of the jeans he wore. He opened the rear door and she could just make out that he was rummaging through some sort of bag. He stood up and pulled the t-shirt that was now in his hands over his head and then shrugged into the jacket that he'd pulled out the duffle with it.

She froze as he turned, smiled at her and then headed her way.


	14. Chapter 14

Well what can I say except everything comes to a head in this chapter. Enjoy.

Thanks for all the reviews so far people, I really appreciate them and the support! Nearly there with this.

Chapter 14

"What do you what?" She crawled back on her backside further into the car. Dean smiled at her and her blood ran cold. "Why don't you go get you little bracelets and bugger off?" His hand closed round her ankle and he dragged her towards him. "Leave me alone. Get off me!" She tried to kick him off but he was too quick, closing his hand round her wrist he pulled her to him and moved his hand to her hair, pulling her head back. He gently lent in and rubbed his face along hers making her shiver. "Please, don't hurt me." He pulled his head back and looked at her and she felt all the fight drain out of her, then he cupped her chin in his hand and kissed her. She gasped as she felt his soft, sweet lips gently caressed hers, his tongue pushing her lips apart, seeking a way in. She was lost for a moment, surrendering to him and then the pain hit her. He let go and she pulled back and tried to scream but she had no longer had any voice left to scream with.

Slowly she stood and then followed him across the empty yard. At the steps to the porch he stopped and let her walk up them in front of him. Her mind was filled with nothingness, hollow empty thoughts rumbled through it but she knew what he wanted her to do. He had told her. She walked up to the front door and stopped. Dean stepped to the side and walked back round to the window of the room that his brother was in.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

_**Sammy?**_

Sam was sitting on the bed, his father and Bobby both busy in the other room. The door to the bedroom was closed. He looked towards the window. "You're not him, go away."

_**It's me Sammy. I need you to let me in. I need you to get the bracelets.**_

"Get. Out. Of. My. Head."

_**Sammy please, help me.**_

Sam brought his hands up over his ears in a vain attempt to blot out his brother's voice.

_**Sammy!! **_There was pain behind that one, that one was Dean. Sam stood and went to the window. His brother was standing there. _Not your brother Sam. _He tried to hold onto that thought as he felt the demon worming its way into his mind.

_**Yes**__** it is. It's your brother Sam. Let me in. **_Dean's head came up and his brother's calm green eyes looked at him. Sam's eyes locked on his and he felt a small tingle dance through his damaged wrist. Dean smiled as Sam reached up and opened the catch, sliding the window open, his arm brushing the salt line as he did so.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Abby threw herself at the front door, pounding on it, making it shake in its frame. Bobby moved to the window. "It's Abby!" He slowly approached the front door.

John stood for a moment, watching as Bobby reached for the door knob and turned it. He realised too late what this was. He turned from the distraction to be greeted with the sight of one of his sons emerging from the bedroom, the other holding a gun to his head. Sam moved as if in a dream, his steps faltering and his eyes glazed. John stepped back and lifted the bottle of holy water from the table.

Abby stepped in through the now open door and passed Bobby heading towards the table on which sat the box with the bracelets and the book on it, the table that John and Bobby had carefully positioned under the devil's trap on the ceiling.

John saw Bobby swear silently as Abby picked up the items together with the keys to Jake's truck that lay next to them. She stepped out of the trap, stopping, watching Dean, obviously waiting to see what she'd to do next. She looked at John, shook her head and held out her hand. He glanced quickly at Dean and then sighed; he handed the small bottle to her and received a smile in return.

Bobby had realised when the possessed demon had recognised John's journal at the car that it was reading Dean's thoughts, using his memories to its advantage which was why he had placed the second trap, the one under the rug that lay between Dean and the door out. Dean would have known about the first trap that was a permanent feature on Bobby's ceiling, Bobby said a silent prayer that he wouldn't guess what lay under the rug almost at his feet.

Abby backed towards the door and Dean moved round the edge of the room, keeping Sam between him and the two other hunters. Bobby was almost willing Dean to cross the rug and he held his breath as Dean stepped in the edge of it and stopped. He caught the look in the older hunter's eye and looked down. Bobby knew he was blown when the red eyes glint back at him as Dean looked up.

"Nice try." It was Sam that spoke but the words weren't his. Dean took his foot and kicked the edge of the rug back to reveal the second trap. Dean grinned at him but again it was Sam that voiced the thought. "He knows you too well you know."

The gunshot caused Bobby to turn. The bullet caught Sam on the shoulder spinning him into Dean and knocking them both into the trap, Dean losing the grip on his gun as Sam's weight dropped onto him. John was moving. He dragged Sam clear and the shocked Bobby moved to kick Dean's gun out from his reach.

John checked on Sam's shoulder, his own gun still in his hand, and gently patted his son on the head. "Sorry Sammy."

He turned to Dean.

"He really should know me too. Didn't think that I'd just let you walk out the front door with my two boys, did you?" He turned to Bobby. "Bobby, read it, now."

Sam sat up. He wasn't sure if it was the pain in his shoulder or the fact that the demon possessing his brother was now in the trap but its hold on him was broken. He looked at his father and hissed lowly at him through the pain. "You shot me?"

"Like I said, sorry but Plan A had kinda gone out the window there besides you were the one that let him get in in the damned first place." He gave Sam a half smile and stood up.

John walked over next to Bobby who had already started the exorcism. Both men watched as the blood started to run from Dean's nose. Sam let out a little cry. "It's hurting him."

Dean collapsed on his side, writhing in agony now on the floor and Sam could no longer stand to hear his brother screaming in his head. He tried to move forward to get to him, comfort him, but John had seen him, was quicker, stopped him. He held his youngest son tightly and watched as both his children suffered the pain of the exorcism, wishing he could hold Dean as he was holding Sam, wishing he could comfort them both. Bobby finished the last line and Sam went limp in John's arm. They watched as the black smoke rose almost lazily from the prone figure of Dean and then disappeared, dissipating into the floor.

Bobby knelt down beside Dean and pulled him up onto his lap. "Dean?" He gently wiped the younger man's face and then checked him over and nodded at John. "He'll be ok, I think. Let's get these two somewhere more comfortable so I can check them over properly."

John rose and laid Sam down on the floor. "Dean first."

Bobby grinned at him.

"What?"

"That wouldn't have been you just making a choice would it?" A small smirk passed over Bobby's face until he saw the look on John's.

He held up his hands in mock surrender. "Ok Dean first."

They stood and carried the boys one at a time into the bedroom. They had just finished settling Sam down on his bed when they heard the engine in Jake's truck start. "Shit, we forgot about Abby!"

Bobby went to go after her but John stopped him. "Later. I need you to give Sam the once over while I tend to Dean. Don't worry, there's no place far enough that she can run."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

John sat all night with his boys, checking them every few hours for signs of fever or pain. He was relieved that they just appeared to be sleeping comfortably, pleased that no nightmares disturbed their much needed rest.

As dawn broke he went and got himself cleaned up and packed his stuff up into the truck. He had just loaded Jake in as Bobby strolled out the house.

"So do I tell them that it was the entire fault of the demon or do you want me to tell the truth for a change?" Bobby was annoyed; John could hear it in his voice.

"Demon, keep Daniel and his boys out of it if you can, for Dean's sake."

Bobby sighed and nodded. "Demon it is then. So you aren't even gonna wait until they wake up before you high tail it out of here?" Bobby shook his head. "You almost lost them John, both of them, and yet here you are just walking away again. Guess that's what you're good at though."

"Jake and I need to have a little talk somewhere in private, besides they're safe here with you and I still haven't found this damn demon yet Bobby and I don't want them near me until I do, do you understand?"

"No John, I'll never understand." Resignation filled Bobby's manner.

"That's 'cos you don't have children of your own Bobby. You don't know what it's like."

Bobby cast a glance over at the bedroom window and for a moment thought he'd caught a glimpse of a figure there. He felt the anger rise in him. "I may not have children of my own John but I've got something far better and I'd guard it with my life. Family isn't always about blood. It takes more than an act of passion to be a father to someone John; you'd do well to remember that. "Bobby turned his back on him. "I'll see ya; best go check on the boys." With that he walked back into the house quietly closing the door behind him.

John stood for a minute and then climbed into his truck. Jake was looking at him with worried eyes. "Now Jake why don't you and I go somewhere real quiet and then I'm gonna get you to fill the silence with a whole heap of noise." He patted Jake's leg and started the engine. With one last look at the house he pulled out of Bobby's yard.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Sam was awake when Bobby walked back into the room. He had somehow managed to pull himself out of the bed and over to the other one to check on his brother. He raised questioning eyes to Bobby. "Dad shot me."

"Flesh wound, it'll heal, now you get your ass back into bed before I kick it back in!" Bobby put a hand down to Sam and helped him back over.

"Dad left?" Sam groaned and held his shoulder as he settled back on the pillows.

"Yeah, he sat with you boys all night but he had to go, he had some loose ends to tie up. You rest now you hear and when you wake back up I'll feed you and that brother of yours." He walked over to the table and picked up a bottle of water and a small bottle of tablets and shook two out. Sam looked at him as he placed them in his hand. "Don't ask just take them."

Sam did as he was told.

Bobby took the water from him. "What do you remember?"

Sam dropped his eyes. "I don't know. It's all patchy."

"Patchy's good, believe me." Bobby ruffled Sam's hair and then pulled his hand away with an embarrassed look on his face.

Sam grinned. Bobby could see the sleeping tablets beginning to kick in, the worry lines that crossed Sam's face easing as sleep came to claim him.

"Rest up ok, I'll fill in all the blanks for both of you when you're up to it." He waited until Sam's breathing smoothed out and then, will a final check on Dean, he went back out to get his story straight in his head before he had to give Sam and Dean a chance to rip it apart with questions that he probably couldn't answer. He sighed. _Damn you John Winchester. _

He took the bottle of whisky off the table and settled down in the chair. Tomorrow was gonna be a long day.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Abby was lying on the huge bed in her hotel apartment. Her head had been scrambled a little by her brief encounter with Dean but she now had less than twenty minutes to go and she would have a rather nice nest egg to fall back on that would more than make up for her pain. She had spoken to her buyer and he was more than pleased that she now had the bracelets as well as the book; a little bonus would be winging her way. She opened the box for one last look at the bracelets, staring at them, amazed again that something so innocent looking could cause so much trouble.

She jumped as there was a knock at the door and then a small smile crossed her lips, placing the still opened box down on the counter she checked her reflection in the mirror before opening the door. She looked perfect.

She stood behind the door, flicked her hair over her shoulder, planted a seductive smile firmly on her lips and opened the door.

It was showtime.


	15. Chapter 15

Ok, second to last chapter and just a little moment or two with the brothers and Abby meets her match!

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Chapter 15

Dean had somehow managed to end up with an infection in his wrist and had spent two days fighting the fever that it had caused. He didn't know how close he'd come to being in hospital right now. Only the fact that his temperature had started to break when it did and that it would have taken too long to explain all the other injuries had kept Bobby from bundling him in the truck and heading off.

Dean opened his eyes and groaned softly. His brother was still there, right were he had been when Dean had fell asleep.

"Don't you need to pee or something, just go do something other than stare at me sleeping?" His voice was barely a croak. _God how bad does that sound, is that even my voice?_ He coughed and instantly regretted it as pain flared through him. _Ok, rather sound like a frog than do that again._

"Nope." Sam smiled at him and moved closer, picking something off the bedside table as he did.

"That's what I was afraid of." Dean managed a weak grin at Sam and tried to sit up, stopping as he was hit by a dizzy spell. He pulled his arm away though as Sam tried to help him sit up. "I'm fine."

Sam touched his forehead with the strip thermometer for about the four hundredth time that day and was batted away for his troubles. Sam pinned his arms down and tried again. Dean was too tired to fight him. He watched Sam frown slightly at the reading.

"Knock it off, I'm fine ok." Dean coughed and groaned as he finished the sentence. _Yeah you're fine Winchester. You can hardly talk, it hurts to breathe or cough, think your temperature must still be just the wrong side of a 100 and you're wrist hurt like a bitch. Fine. _Somehow he did think that his brother believed him.

"You sound it there, frog throat." Sam picked up a glass from the table.

"I am not drinking anymore of that crap. Just get me some tablets and I'll take them." _Funny how I can't remember a damn thing about the last few days except Sam hovering and the fact that I know that tastes awful._

"You can't eat so you need to drink this. You can barely swallow this how do you expect to swallow tablets? Drink the damn thing or I swear to god that I'll get Bobby in here and we'll force it down you." Sam's face meant business.

Dean scowled at his brother and took the glass. He couldn't believe how badly his hands were shaking as he tried to put the glass to his lips. Sam leant into help and was stopped by a look that could probably have turned him to stone if Dean had been on top form.

"I've got it." Dean managed two or three sips before he lost his grip on the glass and ended up wearing the rest. "Sonuvabitch."

"Nice one. I almost think you did that on purpose." Sam crossed his arms and scowled at his brother like he was a naughty child.

Dean smiled; the thought had crossed his mind.

"Here." Sam threw another t-shirt and a towel at him. "See if you can manage to clean yourself up while I"…….he held the glass up……. "get you some more of this."

Dean watched his brother stand and walk slowly from the room, his back obviously still bothering him. "How's your back?"

Sam stopped and turned back, a look crossing his face.

Dean dropped his eyes to his t-shirt and started to rub the split drink off. _Nice one Dean slipped up there. _He knew from the demon that he shouldn't be able to remember anything but it had let him, fed him pieces of his memories to hurt him and now he'd let Sam know it. He cursed quietly to himself.

"Do you remember?" Sam walked back and sat down again.

Bobby had filled Sam in on what happened over the last two weeks but Dean had been out of it and missed Bobby's half-assed attempt to lie to Sam. Sam knew that he was only getting the 'need to know' version but that was bad enough, he really didn't think that he'd needed or wanted the 'warts and all' one. Dean and he were alive. The bad guys were dead or banished. Full stop. Nothing else mattered. If Sam couldn't remember then Dean shouldn't have been able to either.

Dean rolled his eyes. _There it is. That look. The 'I'm gonna get you to spill your guts whether you like it or not' look. I hate that look._

He tried to be non-committal. "Bits."

Sam just sat there.

Dean suddenly found that his hands were the most interesting things in the world. He stared down at them as he spoke. "I remember…..I only remember being beaten."

"How?" Sam was horrified, the pain was bad enough but how bad must it be for his brother to remember the actual act. He fought the urge to hug his brother close to him.

"I don't know, I just do. I think it's something to do with the demon possessing me. It let me remember things, to hurt me, you know."

"You remember being possessed?"

Dean nodded.

What else?"

"Nothing." Dean coughed again and had to lie back on the pillows to ease the pain in his chest. Now he had no escape from his brother's eyes.

"Dean?"

"I remember you. You were in my head, you were leaving me. I was watching you slipping away. You asked me to go with you." He paused. "I would have you know, it was the demon that stopped me." Sam watched as tears pricked at the back of his brother's eyes.

"I know." The vision had been real, Dean remembered it. Sam did lean in this time and gave Dean a small hug.

Dean gave a small embarrassed cough this time. "Dude, you're covering yourself in this crap you know and you're kinda crushing me."

"Sorry, I'll get you some more. Get clean up."

Dean closed his eyes as Sam left the room. He didn't remember who had hurt him or why but he remembered what they'd done, what had been done to him. The demon had made him remember it all. He let the tears trail his cheeks for a minute and then pulled himself back together. With a huge effort he managed to sit up and slowly and painfully pulled his t-shirt up over his head. He was struggling into the clean one when Sam appeared back with the drink.

This time he let his brother help him drink it and then he lay back down and let sleep claim him again, wanting the release. Sam took a moment to watch Dean as he drifted off, briefly checking his forehead again once he knew his brother was almost asleep and then he settled back down beside him.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Abby opened the door to find two men standing there. One she recognised as her buyer Mr Anderson, the other she presumed would be his assistant.

"Gentlemen." She stood back and gave them access to her room.

It was the assistant that spoke. "Miss Gray. I'm Robert Thomson, Mr Anderson's personal assistant. I believe that you have the merchandise that he has been looking for?"

"I believe that you'll have a finder's fee for me?" She smiled; money first then they'd get their hands on the bracelets. She walked over to the laptop and turned to face him. "It's all ready to go, once you've typed in the details and hit send I've get them for you."

"Ah yes, do you have the objects here?" He sat at the laptop, brought up the correct page and started to key in the authorisation codes. Abby smiled at the number of zero's that were showing after the two on the screen. He looked to her for confirmation.

She turned to fetch the bracelets but her buyer had reached the box first. He gestured to her to take them out for him. Abby lifted one of the bracelets out and handed it to him. "They are the genuine items and I have seen them work."

The assistant turned to them. Mr Anderson nodded and he hit the enter key on the keypad.

"The transfers have been made Miss Grey. The money is now in your bank account."

Abby couldn't keep the smile off her face. "Well it's been a pleasure doing business with you both." She held out her hand to shake that of her buyers. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him and she let out a small scream as his eyes turned red. He lifted the bracelet and she watched horrified as he put it round her wrist, stopping to enjoy the fear in her eyes before he snapped it shut. Abby's world went black.

Mr Thomson walked over and picking her up put her on the bed. He went to the box and removing the other bracelet he lay down beside her. Mr Anderson watched as his assistant placed the second bracelet round his wrist and collapsed on the bed.

Bobby's exorcism hadn't sent the demon back to hell it had merely expelled it from Dean. It walked over to the book and lifted it. Now it was going to do what it had waited a long time to do. It was going to raise its twin from the dead. It cast its hand over the text in the book and smiled as the words swan on the page, shifting, changing their order and then it began to read.

Soon it would be whole again.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

_A few weeks later._

Dean got up and wandered into the living area of Bobby's house, dragged out of the bedroom by the smell of bacon and coffee. He rubbed his hair with his hand and yawned as he padded across the floor in just his jogging bottoms.

"God, you are alive we were beginning to wonder." Sam was sitting at what passed as a kitchen table eating something that looked like it had been brought back up and deposited in the bowl.

"Bite me." Dean grimaced at him and walked over to Bobby sniffing the air as he went. "Something smells good?"

"That would be my breakfast, if you wanted something you should have got up earlier."

Dean looked crestfallen. "Isn't there enough for two?" He patted Bobby's stomach. "I mean you need to watch that waistline there old man."

"Are you trying to be left to starve 'cos your mouth's going the right way about it."

Dean gave him an offended look and just pulled two slices of the bacon straight from the frying pan juggling it between his fingers as it burnt him.

"Boy you're an idjit. Here." Bobby shoved a plate at a grateful Dean.

"Should know better than to try and separate Dean from food Bobby, you're lucky that he didn't take a bite out your arm on the way passed."

Dean raised a finger in salute to his brother and then sat opposite him, still trying to eat the roasting hot bacon with his bare hands. Sam shoved some bread at him.

"Here, before you do yourself an injury and I have to look after you again."

Dean tossed a smile at his brother and the bacon into the bread and took a bite. He let out a groan of satisfaction as the taste of the bacon filled his mouth. "God that tastes good." Dean had only managed to start eating properly a few days ago but he was slowly getting his groove back.

"You'd mind, I don't want to wear it ok!" Sam brushed the bits of bread that had escaped his brother's mouth off the table and sat further back. "You're a pig."

"Yep." He smiled at Sam with pieces of bread and bacon escaping through his teeth while he did so.

"God you're gross Dean, d'you know that? Gross."

"I try little brother." He nodded his thanks to Bobby for the cup of coffee that he handed him and washed what was left of the bacon down with it."

Sam just shook his head. "So where do want to go now?"

"Don't know, don't care I say we just get in the Impala and drive 'til we find something. How about upstate, preferably a bar with some hot ladies, I've got an itch that is just dying for me to scratch it." A little grin appeared on Dean's face and then he smiled at Sam.

"Can't your brother help with that?" Bobby's eyes had a mischievous glint in them

"Funny. Do you even remember having that itch Bobby?" Dean's grin lit up the room.

"Can you scratch that itch without the proper equipment?" Bobby waved the kitchen knife dangerously at Dean.

"Think I'll go hide back in the bedroom." He slapped his brother's head on the way by. "Hurry up with that shit Sammy, places to see, people to meet." He strolled off back to the room, coffee cup still in hand.

"How do you put up with him, he could drive a crazy man sane, d'you know that?" Bobby laughed as he threw the dishes in the sink.

"He's my brother Bobby." Sam threw his plate into get washed and then followed Dean to the room, stopping in the doorway.

"But if he's used all the hot water, I just may have to kill him!"


	16. Chapter 16

Ok this is my attempt to tie this story into the season so spoilers for DMB - in fact lots of lines from DMB!! A few reviews are looking for a resolution to the Abby part, didn't realise that I'd left that hanging the way I did - so many in fact on this site and another I am going to do a sequel - I just have a coupla things that I need to finish first.

Hope you like the end for the boys - watch this space for Abby's update!!

Chapter 16

_A few months later_

They were seated at a table in a small diner. Dean was leafing through the newspaper and Sam was researching on the computer. Dean sighed and folded the newspaper,setting it down on the table.

"All right, dude. Not a decent lead in all of Nebraska. What do you got?"

Sam raised his head. "Well, I've been scanning Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota. Here, a woman in Iowa fell ten thousand feet from an airplane and survived."

"That sounds more like "That's incredible" than, uh, "Twilight Zone"."

"Yeah." Sam buried his head back into the laptop.

"Hey, you know, we could, uh - we could just keep it in the east. New York, upstate. We could stop by and see Sarah again, huh?" He smiled at Sam, trying to draw him in. "She's a cool chick, man - smokin'."

He whistled. "You two seemed pretty friendly. What do you say?"

Dean's efforts were rewarded with a small laugh from Sam. "Yeah, maybe, someday. But in the meantime, we've got a lot of work to do, Dean, and you know that."

His brother rolled his eyes at him. "Yeah, you're right. What else you got?"

"Uh, Manning, Colorado - a local man by the name of Daniel Elkins was found mauled in his home."

Sam saw a look cross Dean's face, a brief glimmer of recognition. "Elkins? I know that name." Dean wracked his brain. That name brought flashes of a young man with long dark hair into his head. He shook them away.

Sam looked at him. "Doesn't ring a bell. It sounds like the police don't know what to think. At first, they said it was some sort of bear attack, and now, they found signs of robbery."

Dean pulled out their father's journal and looked through it as Sam spoke to him. _Elkins, I know that damn name from somewhere. _He was half listening to Sam. "Mm-hmm."

He continued looking through the journal and was finally rewarded. "Here. Check it out." _Don't just remember that from this damn journal_. It was just there floating out of reach.

He handed the journal to his brother. "There is a phone number listed for D. Elkins."

"You think it's the same Elkins?"

"It's a Colorado area code."

The exchanged a look and stood up. The thought bugged Dean all the way to the car. There was just something about that name but he could quite pull the thought to him so he gave up. Sam threw him a glance as he got in the car wondering why his brother had gone quiet. He asked when they were in.

"What's up?"

"Huh?"

"That name, you went quiet."

Dean shrugged. "It's nothing. Dad's probably mentioned him to me before."

John watched as his two boys searched the house and then followed them at a distance into town. He didn't see the older man standing in the shadows as he passed by. Jake limped slowly into Daniel's house and into the office. He looked at the opened safe and the box on the floor and then he spotted the writing on the floor.

"Still haven't managed to get your hands on the Colt then John? If I have my way you never will." Jake Washington turned and went to leave as the two vampires walked into the room.

"Leaving so soon."

"See I told you it always pays to check for leftovers."

Jake smiled. "Do your worst you sons of bitches." His screams echoed in the night as they did just that."

Sam and Dean had found the three letters and six digits scratched into the floor in the Elkin's residence and they were now on their way into town to find out what was in it. Shock registered on both their faces at they pulled out the letter with the initials J.W. on it.

They moved outside to sit in the Impala.

It was Sam that spoke first "J.W. - you think? John Winchester?"

"I don't know. Should we open it?" Dean stared at the envelope in his hand.

Someone knocked loudly on the window almost causing Dean to have a heart attack. He turned to stare into the face of his father who was standing outside.

"Dad?" He exchanged a confused look with Sam as their father climbed into the backseat of the car.

"Dad, what are you doing here? Are you all right?" Sam turned to see his father better.

"Yeah. I'm okay. Look, I read the news about Daniel. I got here as fast as I could. I saw you two up at his place."

"Why didn't you come in, Dad?" Sam looked at Dean, his brother had grown quiet again, letting Sam ask all the questions.

"You know why - because I had to make sure you weren't followed, by anyone, or anything. Nice job of covering your tracks, by the way."

Dean smiled "Yeah, well, we learn from the best."

"Wait, so, you came all the way out here for this Elkins guy?"

John looked at his two boys and felt a lump in his throat. He knew that Bobby had kept his word about what he would tell them. "Yeah. He was... he was a good man. He taught me a hell of a lot about hunting."

"You never mentioned him to us."

"We had, uh... we had kind of a falling out. I hadn't seen him in years." He pointed to the letter. "I should look at that." Dean handed it to him and both boys watched as he opened and read it.

""If you're reading this, I'm already dead." That son of a bitch."

Dean spoke "What is it?"

He watched the anger flash in his dad's eyes. "He had it the whole time."

"Dad, what?"

"When you searched the place, did you see a gun? An antique - a Colt revolver, did you see it?"

Dean had. "Uh, there was an old case, but it was empty."

"They have it."

"You mean, whatever killed Elkins?" Dean was wondering why this gun was so important, he knew his brother was too.

"We've got to pick up the trail." John got out of the car.

Sam stopped him. "Wait."

John leant in and spoke to them through the open car window.

Sam was confused. "You want us to come with you?

"If Elkins was tellin' the truth, we've got to find this gun."

"The gun? Why?" Sam was aware that again he was asking all the questions, that Dean's head was somewhere else.

"Because it's important, that's why."

"Dad, we don't even know what these things are yet."

"They were what Daniel Elkins killed best - vampires."

"Vampires? I thought there was no such thing." Dean had finally rejoined the conversation, the word penetrating his thoughts.

"You never even mentioned them, Dad."

"I thought they were extinct. I thought Elkins and others had wiped 'em out." He paused. "I was wrong."

John got out of the car and the brother's exchanged a look. Dean saw that his father had dropped the letter on the back seat and he let over and picked it up. The letter was addressed 'Dear Jake' and as Dean read further he realised that this letter wasn't intended for his father. Two names caught Dean's eye and finally pulled little pieces from his memories into place. The sentence leapt out at him from the page.

'…keeping that gun from John is the only revenge I need for my two boys Jake, so don't think that you are going to do anything else but fetch it and keep it from him. Luke and Matthew are dead and nothing is gonna change that. I know what John did to you Jake after Kansas but you didn't get anything that you didn't deserve, besides knowing that you have the gun that John covets should be revenge enough. Keep it safe Jake. Daniel.'

His brother's voice brought Dean back from that night at the cabin. He knew that Luke had had a bracelet on, he remembered now and so had he. He suddenly wished that Bobby hadn't told them how the damned things worked, that he didn't now know what his father had done for him that night.

"Dean, you're losing him." Sam's face was full of concern. "Are you alright, you look like you've seen a ghost."

Dean folded the letter up and stuck it into his jacket. He'd ask John later, make him tell him what had gone down that night, confirm Dean's worse fears. His father had killed someone to let him live. Dean looked at his brother and hoped that he'd never be faced with that choice himself because he knew what he would do.

He turned the car and headed out after John.

As they say, like father, like son.


End file.
